


The Miracle of Garreg Mach

by Stormrunner777



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Harem, Comedy, F/F, F/M, Jeritza is Emile in this story, M/M, Multi, My Unit | Byleth Twins, Rebirth, Telepathy, Yes there's a harem shut up
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-08
Updated: 2021-03-02
Packaged: 2021-03-09 22:55:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 9
Words: 32,624
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27960389
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Stormrunner777/pseuds/Stormrunner777
Summary: In defiance of fate, the Goddess has been reborn into Fodlan, her existence kept secret in an effort to protect her from those who would use her power for ill.It truly is a shame, then, that she doesn't remember anything from her past, her own daughter is her grandmother, and she can hear the thoughts of her friends and siblings.The world is not prepared.
Relationships: Alphard | Aelfric Dahlman/Cornelia Arnim, Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd/Edelgard von Hresvelg/Claude von Riegan/Sothis, Jeralt Reus Eisner/Sitri Eisner | Byleth's Mother/My Unit | Byleth, My Unit | Byleth & Sothis
Comments: 11
Kudos: 47





	1. Prolouge: Rebirth

It was a dark night, the overcast sky blocking the full moon that should’ve graced Garreg Mach Monastery. Young Byleth Eisner, daughter of Jeralt and Sitri Eisner, huffed a quiet sigh as she leaned against a window outside of the Archbishop’s audience chamber. Next to her, her twin brother, Alexi Eisner, played quietly with a small action figure their father had made for him. On her other side, her father’s closest friend, Alois Rangeld, seemed about ready to pass out completely while another of her parent’s friends, High Priest Aelfric Dahlman, stood next to Alexi while reading a book of ancient hymns. 

“Uncle Ali?” Byleth asked while looking up at Alois, startling him awake.

Alois, yawning loudly, replies, “Yes, By?” 

“How much longer?” Byleth asks with pleading eyes, making the poor lieutenants heart shatter in guilt ridden shame. 

“I’m afraid I don’t know,” Alois admits shamefully, “This usually takes time, but it is taking an awfully long while, though.”

“I still remember when the two of you were born three years ago,” Aelfric says in response as he turns the page in his book, “You two had us all worried sick with how long your mother was in labor. I almost expected this to happen the second time.” 

“But… but…” Byleth tries to protest, but can’t think of anything to say, so she just rests her head against the window, surrendering to boredom as she watches the moonless night. Then, just as the moon finally broke through the clouds, a man, young Hanneman von Essar, emerged from the audience chamber with a maid following close, a sack of messy rags in her hands. Byleth and Alexi jump up and run to the man with Alois and Aelfric in tow, with Byleth pleading, “Can we go in yet?” 

“Not yet, kids,” Hanneman says quietly, exhausted from the long day, “Your mother needs a few more minutes to recover.” 

“Do we have a brother?” Alexi asks immediately.

“A sister, I’m afraid,” Hanneman answers, causing the young toddler to deflate with a loud groan, though Byleth’s young eyes sparkle with excitement.

“Yay!” she exclaims, her voice echoing down the empty halls, “We have a baby sister!” 

“Shhh, please be quiet,” Hanneman warns, “It’s late and people are asleep.” 

Byleth blushes with embarrassment as she covers her mouth, and whispers, “I’m sorry.” 

Hanneman chuckles at the child’s reaction as Alois asks, “Is the baby at least healthy?” 

“Of course,” Hanneman replies, “But… there is something of interest about the child, and I do hope to perform a test when she’s older.” 

“Really?” Aelfric asks, “What could be of interest?” 

Behind Hanneman, the door opens again to reveal the Archbishop, Rhea, though she lacks her usual regalia as she wears a simple white tunic, her hair held back by a silver hair band. Her eyes, however, show recent signs of tears as they appear slightly bloodshot, but her smile lets the twins know they were tears of joy.

“Grammy!” Byleth and Alexi exclaim quietly, having headed Hanneman’s warning, as they embrace the Archbishop’s legs tightly. Rhea smiles gently as she bends down to reciprocate their embrace. Once they separate, Byleth looks up eagerly as she asks, “Can we see her?” 

“Yes,” Rhea says quietly, “But do be quiet. Your sister is asleep right now.” Rhea takes the toddlers’ hands and leads them and the others to her personal chambers where the rest of their family waits. Hanneman graciously opens the door, revealing Jeralt kneeling next to the bed as his hand gently strokes his wife’s arm gently, and in Sitri’s arms, wrapped in a knitted blanket, rests the newborn child. 

Byleth’s eyes widen when she sees the newborn. ‘I have a sister,’ she quietly thinks to herself. She looks at her brother briefly and he, too, has a look of pure shock on his face. Rhea gently pulls the toddlers along, and Jeralt turns to greet his twin children. 

“Hey,” he says quietly, “Come here and look.” 

He quietly pulls a chair over, taking a seat next to the bed. He picks up both of his children at once and turns himself to face the bed. Byleth looks at her mother, and she looked dead tired, but the smile on her face as she looked down at her baby told Byleth she would be alright. Byleth tried to lean forward to get a better look, but her father pulled her back and said, “Wait, By. Be patient.” 

“But I can’t see her,” Byleth protests while looking at her father, but his stern face makes her shrink back as she looks back at her mother and sister. 

“It’s ok, Byleth,” Sitri says quietly, shifting the newborn so her twins could see her, “I can show you.” 

Sitri pulls the blanket apart slightly, revealing their sister. Her hair is a stark green, about the same as their grandmother’s. Her face looks similar to their mother’s, though her chin seemed a little more pointed. The baby then lets out a massive yawn, her arms breaking free of the loosened blanket, and she opens her lime green eyes as she stares at the twins. However, what caught Byleth’s attention the most was her ears. 

“Um, Dad,” Alexi asks, “Why are her ears so pointy?” 

“Because, Alexi,” Rhea answers for Jeralt, “We believe that your sister might be the Goddess reborn.” 

Byleth and Alexi’s eyes go wide as Aelfric and Alois gasp in unison. “You… can’t be serious,” Aelfric says in shock. 

Just then, the newborn sucks in a mouthful of air and sneezes forcefully. As she sneezes, though, a green puff of mana erupts from her body, causing the baby to shiver quietly before relaxing into her mother’s arms. Sitri giggles at her newborn while rewrapping the blanket around her, a single tear falling from her eye. “I know she is,” Sitri says, “She’s been waiting for this… for a long, long time.” 

“What’s her name?” Alexi asks, leaning to look closer at his baby sister.

Jeralt leans forward as well, holding his twins tightly so they can avoid hurting their mother or their sister, and he says quietly as the light of the moon shines upon the baby, “Her name… is Sothis.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [ Rebirthing-Skillet](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m7Nioh8wq3w)


	2. The Mission

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To avoid confusion:  
> 'If text is in single quotes, it is a thought'  
> "If text is in double quotes, it is spoken out loud"   
> Any questions... no?  
> OK, let's get started.

She was on a mission. When she woke up this morning, she had awoken in her crib. This isn’t unusual, but she definitely remembers sleeping in her father’s arms the night before. And when she woke up and called out, her mother had come to get here. Her mother changed her, dressed her, but she also saw no sign of her father anywhere that morning. In short, she concluded that her father was missing, and needed to be found. Besides, she had to tell him something important, something that she had been practicing for weeks now. As such, once her mother wasn’t looking of course, she left their home and set off in the hopes of finding…

“Sothis!” An exasperated voice calls from behind her.

‘Curses!’ the crawling infant thought to herself, looking back at the woman as she approached her, ‘Foiled by mother again!’

Sitri walks over to her daughter and picks her up, saying with a playful voice, “Just what do you think you’re doing?” 

‘I’m looking for dad!’ Sothis wanted to say, but it came out as, “Ahmph phlath de thath!”

“Oh, honey,” Sitri says quietly as she carries Sothis back into their home, “If you were ready to leave, you should’ve let your sister and I finish first.” 

Sitri closes and wisely locks the door, much to Sothis’s exasperation. ‘Don’t lock it, I need to find dad!’

“Mom!” the voice of her sister, Byleth, calls out, drawing the infant’s attention. 

“Yes, dear,” Sitri replies as she prepares a sling to hold Sothis. 

“I can’t find my belt!” Byleth calls back, “And where’s Alexi?” 

“Your belt is in my room, I had to fix the buckle last night,” Sitri replies while drawing a cardigan around her shoulders, “And your brother went with your father today. He insisted on joining him on the training field.” 

‘That’s it!’ Sothis’s eyes widened at the announcement, ‘He must be there. Don’t worry daddy, I’ll find you. I just need to get out of this prison.’ 

Sothis starts wiggling in the sling, only for Sitri to say, “Now hold on, I’m getting it.”

‘The door?’ Sothis thinks to herself, only for Sitri to dangle a small silver rattle, decorated with an image of the Crest of Flames and accented by emerald silk cloth. ‘OH NO! MY ONE WEAKNESS!’

Sothis grabs the rattle and shakes it playfully, content to rest against her mother’s breast, for now at least. 

Byleth turned out of the hall, securing the silver buckle of her leather belt. Her tunic was a sapphire blue with golden trim, normally reserved for the highest ranking members of the church, but since her mother was the Archbishop’s daughter, an exception was made for the family. “Why do I need to wear this again?” 

Sitri smiled at Byleth as she draped another smaller cardigan around her daughter and says, “We’re expecting the royal family from Faerghus today, so I need you to be on your best behavior, ok?” 

“Oh, yeah,” Byleth says with realization, “They’re coming to see grandmother, right?” 

‘See grandmother?’ Sothis thinks to herself as she teethes her rattle, ‘Why would anyone want to see her? She’s not that special. All she’s done is give me toys and hugs. Oh, the hugs.’ Sothis hums gently at the thought of being hugged by her grandmother. 

“Yes, but they won’t be here until later this afternoon,” Sitri replies to her daughter, “Besides that, we also need to get some fabric from town. I have to get your sister’s first birthday outfit made and I hope they have what I need today. I checked last week but they weren’t finished weaving it at the time.” 

“Ok,” Byleth says quietly before perking up, “I wonder if Anna will be in town today. She always has cool stuff to sell.” 

“Well, if she’s there, maybe I can let you get something,” Sitri replies, unlocking the door and walking out with Byleth in tow. 

‘We’re going to town?’ Sothis thinks dejectedly, ‘But I want dad.’ Sothis’s eyes turn grumpy and her rattle slips from her mouth. She panics slightly and quickly starts noshing on the silver once again. 

~~~

Sitri, Sothis, and Byleth arrive in the town, amicably greeting many of the residents as they walk by. 

‘This is not how I want to spend my morning,’ Sothis thinks to herself, ‘I want dad!’ 

Sothis starts whimpering quietly as Sitri walks, and she says to Byleth, “Oh no, your sister’s hungry again.” 

Sothis, now feeling slighted by such an observation, thinks, ‘I’m not hungry! I’m…’ She’s interrupted by a low grumble from her stomach, ‘Oh… maybe I am hungry. FEED ME, WOMAN!’

Sitri steps away from the road, hiding herself and rolls down a corner of her blouse, allowing Sothis a chance to latch on before covering her with the sling. Once she’s satisfied that her appearance is presentable, Sitri steps back onto the road, holding Sothis’s head gently while taking Byleth’s hand as they venture further into the town. 

After a few minutes, they arrive at the weavers shop, a bell signaling their entrance. 

“Sitri!” The resident weaver greets amicably, “I’m fairly certain I know exactly what you want today.” 

“Is it ready, then?” Sitri asks quietly as Sothis starts to doze off. 

‘Can’t… stay… awake….’ Sothis thinks as her eyes close, ‘Feeding… too… zzzzzzz.’ 

“Oh my,” the weaver says as he pulls a roll of ornate fabric, “I never knew your daughter was a snorer.” 

“It keeps me up at night,” Byleth answers grumpily. 

“I’ve learned that if her snoring stops, that means she’s waking up,” Sitri answers with a little more optimism, “Almost like her brother, because when he goes quiet, that means he’s up to no good.” 

“Oh, I understand,” the weaver replies, “When my son was a toddler, silence always meant ‘find the child now,’ and he would either have his hand in the cookie jar, or be playing with one of my tools. It was not a fun day when I had to explain to his mother why he was trapped in a fabric cage when she went shopping once. She never left him alone with me again after that. Not until he turned ten, at least then he knew better.” 

“I certainly look forward to that day when it comes,” Sitri replies with a sigh, “Now, about the fabric.” 

“Ah, yes,” the weaver rolls out the fabric in question, a sapphire blue background with incredibly intricate golden weaved designs of dragons, with the various crests of Fodlan interspersed throughout, “Just got this finished yesterday. Spent almost a month on this one.” 

“It’s beautiful,” Byleth says with wonder in her eyes, “Can I have some of the leftovers when you’re done, mom?” 

“We’ll see how much is left once I’m finished, and I’ll decide then,” Sitri replies as she pulls out her coin purse. 

~~~

Sothis’s eyes flutter open, and she finds herself still trapped in the sling against her mother. She tries to look around, and sees the sky turn back into their home’s roof again. ‘Oh, come on! I need to get back out.’ 

“Byleth, dear?” Sitri says once she closes the door, “Can you grab Sothis some toys from her room, please.” 

“Yes, mother,” Byleth replies, her footsteps going further away as Sothis feels the sling finally loosen. Sitri gently lowers her to the ground and unwraps the sling, after which Sothis immediately rolls to her tummy and crawls quickly to the closed door. 

“Oh, Sothis,” Sitri says with a small giggle, “You can’t go outside right now. I have to get working on your dress.” 

Sothis sits and turns to her mother, looking her dead in the eye as she tries to say, ‘To Hell with the dress. Daddy comes first,’ but, instead, it comes out as, “Bub beddth beh?” 

“Yes, I need to make you a dress,” Sitri answers. Sothis just raises her arms up and brings them down in exasperation, and her mother says, “Oh, now don’t be like that. It will be a nice dress. Besides, look at what Byleth brought out.” 

Sothis looks at her sister and sees a number of her toys on the ground. Her eyes widen, and she automatically crawls over them, thinking to herself, ‘Jackpot. Dad can wait.’ Her eyes then fall upon her old foe, ‘So, you’ve come back from the pit. Alright, have at thee!’

As Sothis starts ‘wrestling’ the stuffed toy dragon her grandmother had given her, Sitri walks over to the table with a pair of scissors, a measuring stick, and a few pieces of paper with her desired design to begin working on Sothis’s new dress while Byleth watches her sister with mild concern as the young child gets the dragon into a textbook chokehold. 

A few hours pass, and Byleth raises her sister’s hand in victory as the last challenger, a small stuffed eagle from Hanneman, is sent into ‘the pit,’ which, in reality, was just the toy chest. 

“Ok Sothis,” Byleth says, “You may have defeated them today, but will you beat them tomorrow when they are joined by,” Byleth reaches into the chest, and pulls her hand out, declaring, “The Tickle Monster!” 

‘NO!!!’ Sothis tries to exclaim, but she instead lets out a playful squeal as Byleth tickles her all over, bringing out intense laughter from the child. ‘It’s too much! I can’t handle the Tickle!’ As Byleth stops her tickling, Sothis rolls over onto her belly and crawls over to the table her mother is at, with Byleth in tow. 

“Mom?” Byleth ask, drawing Sitri’s attention, “I think Sothis wants to go outside.” 

‘Yes! That’s what I’ve been trying to tell her!’ Sothis explains in her mind as she tugs her mother’s dress.

“Actually, we need to get ready for the arrival of the King,” Sitri says as she picks up Sothis, “Go get the hair brush and your sister’s rattle.” 

‘The King?’ Sothis tries to ask, having it come out as, ‘Phthig?’

“‘King,’ Sothis,” Sitris corrects as she sits her in her lap, “We are expecting the King soon, and from what I’ve heard, you may have a playdate tonight when he arrives.” 

‘Playdate?’ Sothis looks at her mother as Byleth hands her a hair brush, ‘Like that demon named Angie from a few weeks ago. No thank you, just give me to dad and I’ll be-’

*Rattle Rattle Rattle Rattle*

‘Gimmegimmegimmegimme’

Sothis reaches out and grabs the rattle from Byleth, and allows her mother to torture her with the brush as she chews on the rattle contently. 

~~~

The trio arrive at the Archbishop’s audience chamber, and enter quietly to find Rhea sitting on her throne, speaking with a couple of servants. 

“Make sure the rooms are ready,” Rhea tells the servants, “I want to ensure the queen is as comfortable as possible when she arrives. This past year has taken its toll on her.”

“We understand, Lady Rhea,” the first servant replies, “Would you like Hanneman to inspect the room once we’re finished, just in case?”

“Yes, please,” Rhea confirms, “And let him know that he might be needed tonight if something happens.”

The servants bow to Rhea before turning to face the door, only to notice Sitri had arrived as they bow towards her as well. The hastily leave as Rhea rises from her throne.

“Hello, Sitri,” Rhea says with a broad smile as she embraces her daughter. 

“Hello, mother,” Sitri replies as she reciprocates, “Has everything been alright today?”

“It’s been fairly well,” Rhea replies as she pulls away, a frown replacing her smile, “But I am deathly worried about queen Maria. Her health has been degrading over the last year, and once she gave birth to Prince Dimitri, she’s only gotten worse.”

Sitri looks away, very much aware of the queen’s condition already, and says, “At this point, we can only pray that her suffering is close to its end. I know it’s not a good thing to think about, but this has gone on for far too long for her.”

“I completely agree,” Rhea nods before looking down at Byleth, a grin returning, “And what about you, dear? Have you been having a good day?”

“It’s been good,” Byleth says with a small smile before it turns into a frown, “But we didn’t get to see Anna today.”

“Oh, it’s ok,” Rhea replies as she kneels down to her level, “She is a traveling merchant after all, so you can’t expect her to be in town every time you go. Besides, we have a few extremely important guests coming today.”

“The King, right?” Byleth asks, perking up. 

“Yes,” Rhea replies with a nod, “The King  _ and  _ his family, so you and your brother need to be on your best behavior when they get here, so that means no fighting, alright?”

“Yes, ma’am,” Byleth replies politely, standing straighter as she folds her hand behind her back. 

“Good,” Rhea says as she stands, “By the way, where is Alexi?”

“He’s with Jeralt today,” Sitri replies with a sigh, “He insisted.”

‘WHAT!’ Sothis squirms in her sling, ‘Who is this ‘Jeralt’ and why does he have big bubba?’

“Oh,” Sitri starts to undo the sling, “I think Sothis wants to see you.”

‘No, not grandma, I need to save daddy and bubba!’ Sothis tries to exclaim, but it came out as, “Na la beta beh.’

Sitri unwraps Sothis from the sling, and turns her to face Rhea. Sothis looks up at Rhea to see a large, almost beaming smile on her face. ‘I don’t need it, I don’t need it….’ 

Rhea reaches out and picks up Sothis from Sitri’s arms. 

“I NEEEED IIIIIIT!!!”

Rhea pulls Sothis up to her shoulder and embraces the child, holding her close as Sothis wraps her tiny arms around her grandmother. ‘No hug like grandmother’s hug.’ 

Byleth walks over to the window and notices a large number of servants and guards running towards the monastery’s entrance. “I think they’re here,” she calls back.

“Good,” Rhea says, still holding onto Sothis as she and Sitri walk over to the window, “We’d best make ourselves presentable, in a few minutes at least.” 

~~~

Alexi stood stiffly next to his father, straighter than most of the guards and Knights that stood next to them. He knew that, someday, the Knights could very well be his to command, and he needed to set the example for those that surrounded him. Unfortunately, since he is so small compared to everyone else, instead of glances of respect and nods of recognition, he got ‘d’aws’ from the servants and maids and light chuckling from the guards themselves. ‘At least the knights know better,’ Alexi thought to himself as he scanned the dead silent knights. 

Alois, who is standing next to Jeralt, says, “Your son is sure to make a model knight someday, even if he’s a bit stiff right now.” 

“I’m sure of it,” Jeralt replies, “I also have no doubt that both of his sisters will make fierce knights on their own, as well.”

“Are you sure?” Alois asks, “Sothis is still very young.” 

“If you have a chance to watch her… ‘play’ with her toys, then you’ll understand what I mean,” Jeralt answers, shaking his head at a few recent memories. 

Before Alois can add anything, a horn blows over the monastery as a guard calls into the market, “Make way for the King!” 

The gates open, and an incredibly ornate blue and gold carriage enters the market square. It comes to a halt as everyone present looks over the guard’s shoulders, trying to catch a glimpse of King Lambert as the door of the carriage is opened. 

Alois, grinning as if he had been waiting for this moment for years, shouts, “Attention!” to the guards and knights, causing them all to stiffen up straight. Alexi, already stiff, just tries to make himself appear taller. 

King Lambert steps out first, his surprisingly merry eyes scanning the crowd as they bow respectfully in his direction. Once they rise, he calmly waves at the people gathered before he turns his attention back to the carriage to help his wife, Maria, out. As she steps out, Alexi immediately notices just how tired she looked, as if she had barely gotten any sleep the night before, though her smile seemed warm and welcoming. After Maria steps out, Alexi then notices another woman stepping out with a child in her arms. Although he couldn’t see the child, Alexi could tell they were important as they were wrapped in a solid blue blanket with the head of a golden lion emblazoned on it.

Alexi almost missed his father starting to bow at the king before following his example, rising with him as the older man says while extending his hand, “Welcome back to Garreg Mach Monastery, your majesty.” 

“It certainly is a pleasure to see you again, Captain,” King Lambert replies, accepting Jeralt’s outreached hand and shaking firmly, “I’ve heard that you’ve had another daughter?”

“She’ll be one year old in about a month,” Jeralt answers, “I see you’ve brought your son as well.” 

“Indeed,” Lambert replies while looking back at the wrapped child, “I don’t know why, but I couldn’t find a good reason to leave him back at Fhirdiad. If anything, he might even come with me wherever I may have to travel.” 

“You may not have a choice,” Jeralt says while looking down at Alexi, “My own son has been glued to my side since this morning.” 

“Daaaad,” Alexi groans, embarrassed by his father’s attention. 

“I doubt it will be a bad thing,” Lambert replies after a brief chuckle, “We should head on to the Archbishop, yes?”

“Of course,” Jeralt says before looking at Alois, “You can take care of everything here?”

“Yes sir!” Alois replies enthusiastically, stepping away to guide the guards and knights as Jeralt leads Lambert and his family to Rhea’s audience chamber. 

~~~

Although she was somewhat infuriated that she couldn’t hold onto her grandmother for any longer, Sothis didn’t protest when she was handed back to her mother, mostly because she could hear a few new voices in the hallway. Sothis sat quietly in her mother’s arms, resting her back against her chest as Byleth brushed her pristine dress again. ‘It’s not messy sis,’ Sothis thinks, ‘It’s fine.’ 

‘Oh, shush,’ Byleth fires back silently, ‘I’m just nervous.’ 

Sothis found it funny that she and her siblings could talk like this. It always made their father question his sanity whenever they go quiet together in the same room, though their mother felt that it was cute more than anything. Byleth and Alexi shared this trick before she was born, as far as she was aware, and they are the reason she can talk to herself as well as she can even though she can hardly say a word out loud. The only real drawback Sothis had is that she had to be within a few feet of her siblings for this to work, while Byleth and Alexi could talk to each other from across the audience chamber. Then again, they are older than her  _ and  _ are twins, so that could also explain it. ‘Maybe once I’m older, I can talk to them from a distance.’ 

Suddenly, the chamber doors open, and a guard steps forward, announcing, “Presenting, his royal highness, King Lambert Egitte Blaiddyd of the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus and, his beloved, Queen Maria.” 

The King and Queen enter the audience chamber, bowing to Rhea as she does the same. Sitri and Byleth follow their example, Sitri shifting her arms to hold Sothis against her chest. After they rise and Rhea and the nobles exchange pleasantries, Sothis spots them.

‘Daddy! Bubba! You’re safe!’ Sothis exclaims in her head, almost jumping out of her mother’s arms to go after them. 

However, Sitri had prepared for this, and her grip remains firm around her daughter as Jeralt and Alexi approach them. 

“Well someone’s excited to see me,” Jeralt says quietly, ruffling his daughter’s hair which, in turn, causes her to giggle merrily. 

‘Daddy, stop,’ Sothis protests, ‘You’re making my hair a mess.’ This doesn’t stop her giggling though. 

“I think she missed you, daddy,” Byleth says, “She kept going for the door at home after she woke up.” 

‘I thought it was because she can finally say a word now,’ Alexi corrects his sister silently, only to be met with a sidelong glare from the girl. 

‘One word, and I’ll hit with a stick,’ Byleth threatens, causing Alexi to back away. It should be noted that, although twins, Byleth is the elder of the pair by about four minutes, and is, therefore, the alpha amongst the three siblings. 

‘Stop fighting,’ Sothis orders as she recovers from her fit of laughter, ‘I’m about to do it.’ 

She takes a breath, but before she can say anything, Rhea suddenly says, “I don’t think you’ve had a chance to meet the most recent member of our family.” 

Jeralt looks away and steps to stand beside his wife, much to Sothis’s indignation. ‘No! I was so… wait.’ Sothis tears her eyes away from her father as they land on the two new people in front of her. She looks up at them and notices something very very wrong with one of them. 

Beyond being able to understand her siblings, Sothis can also sense a person’s aura as well. It was something she didn’t quite understand at first, nor was it something her siblings could figure out either; but, ever since they taught her the colors of the rainbow, she was able to figure out what color meant what. 

For example, red meant passion, and different shades of red meant different passionate emotions. It was one of the first emotions she ever sensed properly and one she sensed on occasion coming from her parents’ room, though it seemed a little too bright to be just passion. Whatever it was, she could never quite sleep those nights, but they were few and far between. 

Now, for the people in front of her, the man with the golden head had a very bright blue aura, meaning he was very calm and collected. It was an aura that Sothis saw very often from her mother and almost everyone she met. But the woman, however, her aura was an almost sickening yellowish-green, but very very faint. Sothis’s eyes locked with the woman and she could tell from her eyes that she needed help. ‘I need to help her,’ Sothis thought, ‘Mother, hand me to her, please. She needs my help.’ 

“My,” Lambert says as he glances at Rhea, “I want to say she’s almost like a miniature version of you, Lady Rhea.” 

“It’s not just appearance,” Sitri adds, “She has had many mana bursts the same color as mother’s after she was born, so I think she might have a future as a mage someday.” 

‘And my mana burst will help this woman,’ Sothis tries to explain while raising her arms, but says, “Ah maba da ba.”

“Yes, Sothis, a mana burst,” Sitri giggles and says, “Now, can you say hi to the King and Queen?” 

‘Alright, fine,’ Sothis lowers her arms and just waves at the people in front of her while saying, “Ahhahhh.” 

“Yes, hello,” Lambert replies while waving back playfully, “There is someone else we want you to meet.” 

‘Who? Is it the playdate mother promised?’ Sothis asks while tilting her head. 

Lambert turns and collects a blanketed bundle from the other woman, and holds the bundle to reveal another child close to Sothis age, staring at everyone congregated, “This is my son, Dimitri.” 

‘Dimitri…’ Sothis thinks, ‘Where’s your body?’

‘Banky,’ the boy replies, only for both children to jump at the sudden voice. 

“Oops,” Sitri says, “I don’t think Sothis was ready to see him.” 

‘I wasn’t ready to  _ hear him _ ,’ Sothis exclaims in her head, staring at the boy as he stares back, ‘I don’t think he was ready to hear himself, either.’ 

“Maybe we should get ourselves settled in for tonight,” Lambert suggests, “It’s been a long ride for us, and we need to rest before dinner tonight.” 

“Of course,” Rhea agrees, “The servants should just be finishing with your rooms as we speak. Captain, if you don’t mind.” 

“Not at all,” Jeralt replies, leading the royals with Alexi in tow out of the audience chamber. 

‘Wait! Daddy, no!’ Sothis exclaims, ‘I need to tell you something.’ Her expression drops as she starts whimpering. 

“Oh, perfect timing, actually,” Sitri says, “Excuse me mother, but Sothis needs to feed.” 

“My room is unlocked,” Rhea replies quietly, “Take your time. Besides, I have Byleth to keep me company.” 

‘Feed?’ Sothis thinks, mildly insulted, ‘I don’t need to… *growl*… OH COME ON!!!’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ["Mission failed, we'll get 'em next time."](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DQrUuRPDbwo)
> 
> Hope your aren't allergic to adorableness, because it only gets fluffier from here.


	3. The Dream

About an hour later, Sothis awakens to find herself still in her mother’s arms, in grandmother’s bedroom no less, but notices that she is talking to someone. 

“I understand, Aelfric,” Sitri says, “If you need any help in the coming days, just let Jeralt or I know.” 

“I will,” Aelfric says, but notices Sothis’s eyes flutter open to look at the man. “Well, looks like someone’s awake.” 

‘Hey, Godfather,’ Sothis tries to say, but it comes out as, “Ah, Gpfteh.”

“Almost, dear,” Sitri says, “It’s ‘Godfather’. Can you say it: ‘God-fa-ther.”

Sothis makes no response, and instead stares at the small stain on the man’s tunic, at which he points and says, “Oh, this. It’s just from my lunch today. No worries.” 

Sitri sighs and says, “I’m about ready to give up with her. She’s been absolutely silent with me when I try to teach her anything, but she’s just like a flock of birds with how much she talks to her siblings.”

“It is certainly strange to see when the twins are with me some days,” Aelfric replies, “Sometimes, they can’t seem to stop, other days it’s like a sin to even open their mouths. Hanneman’s supposed to perform their crest evaluations tomorrow, yes?” 

“Tomorrow morning, alongside Dimitri and Sothis,” Sitri answers, “I just hope they aren’t too loud when the tests begin.” 

“They will be fine, I’m certain of it,” Aelfric assures as he looks at the shifting sky outside the window, “I’d best be off, then. I need to finalize the plans with the architect before we proceed with breaking ground on the new barracks tomorrow.” 

“Do take care,” Sitri says as Aelfirc leaves the room, “Now then, let's get you, my little Goddess, ready for your playdate.” 

‘Oh, fantastic,’ Sothis thinks to herself, ‘Leave me with ‘banky’ kid for a few hours while you, daddy, bubba, and sissy have dinner with the King, that’s just fine.’

Sitri notices Sothis disinterested expression and, as she lays her on a changing table, says, “Oh, he’ll be better than Angie, I’m certain of it. Besides, Dimitri is a prince. Isn’t that cool?”

Sothis levels a marginal glare at her mother, trying to say, ‘Aren’t prince’s stuck up anyway?’ only for it to come out as, “A tnp sta!”

“*Sigh*, Listen, honey, I didn’t know that Angie would be like that to you,” Sitri says quietly, “But I can assure you that Dimitri will be better than her. Will you at least be good for mommy and play with him, if only for a little bit?”

Sothis looks at her eyes, and, albeit reluctantly, says, “Yeeech”

Sitri smiles down at her daughter as she says, “Thank you,” Before she begins changing her. 

~~~

Byleth and Alexi stare at each other, the air between them oppressive and tense. ‘Just a little longer.’ 

Byleth’s eyes stung, her hands clutching her dress tightly as she forces her eyes to remain open. ‘Almost… dang it.’ Then, as her will power fails, she blinks.

“Yes!” Alexi exclaims, “Still undefeated!” 

Byleth grumbles quietly as Alexi starts his little victory dance he’d always do after a staring contest. It was a weekly competition between them to see who could keep their eyes open the longest, with a strict no clapping or blowing honor code between them and, unfortunately, Alexi has won every single time. 

“Please be quiet, you two,” their father suddenly says from next to them, “The King and Queen are almost ready and your mother should be here any minute.” 

Alexi, still excited but heading his father, sits calmly in his chair and says, “I’m sorry. I just won again.” 

Jeralt grunts in amusement and says, “Just wait until you’re old enough to hold a sword without falling over. Then we’ll see who’s the better of the two of you.” 

Byleth and Alexi look at each other once more, the passion of competition brewing between them at the prospect.

‘You’re going to be wolf food, bro,’ Byleth says silently. 

‘You’ll make a great ornament on my shelf, sis,’ Alexi fires back, their glares growing less intense and more playful as they both giggle fitfully at their insults as Jeralt shakes his head and rubs his temples.

As they now giggle at their father’s expense, Sitri walks in, sans Sothis, and sits next to her husband while planting a kiss on his lips, causing their twins to gag in response. 

“Ew, how can you do that?” Alexi asks as Byleth looks visibly ill. 

“When you’re older, you’ll understand,” Jeralt says quietly as Sitri giggles at her over dramatic children. 

A few minutes later, Rhea walks in with the King and Queen close behind. 

“I see you’re all situated,” Rhea says as she takes her place at the head of the table, her daughter next to her as Lambert and Maria sit opposite the family.

“Yep,” Jeralt confirms, “Just had to keep these two trouble makers from going at it with each other.” 

“Daaaaaad,” both children groan at the same time, with Byleth saying, “It was just a staring contest.” 

“And I’ve seen how a few of your contests have turned out in the past,” Jeralt says while throwing a disapproving glare at the twins, causing them to shy away from his gaze. 

“Oh, don’t be like that,” Lambert says with an amused grin, “Let the kids have their fun. It’s not like they can hurt each other at this age.” 

“On the contrary,” Rhea says with a sigh, “They did get into quite the fight over if they were going to have a sister or brother before Sothis was born, and I had to call in their Godfather, Aelfric, and Alois to separate the pair until Sitri and Jeralt returned from the physician in town.” 

“If I remember correctly, it was half the reason you hired Hanneman not long after,” Sitri remembers, “Besides his work on crests, he’s also an experienced medical physician, and he was there to help when Sothis was born.” 

“Sure made our lives a little easier,” Jeralt says quietly. 

“Speaking of Sothis,” Maria says, “I do wonder how she and Dimitri are getting along.” 

“Sothis was a bit reluctant to be placed with him,” Sitri says, “But I’m certain everything will be fine.” 

~~~

‘This isn’t fine,’ Sothis thinks to herself, staring at the young boy as he rolls around on the floor, holding a plain ball with a string attached, ‘This boy is hopeless.’ 

Sothis crawls away, her eyes landing on a small toy wagon. Before she reaches it though, she hears behind her, ‘Hop...less?’

She stops and turns to face Dimitri, staring at him as he starts back, ‘You say something?’

Dimitri tilts his head as he sits up, concentrating on the floor as he replies, ‘S...som...ting?’

‘No, some-thing,’ Sothis corrects, ‘Say it with me: some-thing.’

‘Some-thing,’ Dimitri repeats, startled at himself.

‘Yes, that’s good,’ Sothis exclaims as she smiles at the boy.

‘Some-thing…’ Dimitri crawls away when he spots a stuffed bear nearby, while singing in his head, ‘Something… something… something….’

‘Well, you’ll get the hang of it,’ Sothis says as she crawls after him. 

Sothis then spends most of the time teaching Dimitri the various things of the world, everything from the fierce bear, to the rolling wagon, all the while the nearby maid who was watching them grew more and more unnerved by her alarmingly intelligent behavior. 

Sothis can just here the maid say quietly, “That kid is way too smart.”

All Sothis can do is just level a knowing grin at the woman, nearly sending her running out of the monastery were it not for her duty to keep an eye on the crown prince. 

As they crawl from object to object, Sothis notices Dimitri’s attention kept getting drawn to the wagon, and he points at it to say, ‘Wagon… pl… pla… play?’

‘You want to play with the wagon?’ Sothis asks.

Dimitri, happy he got his point across, doesn’t answer, and just crawls over to the toy wagon, and rolls it over to Sothis. 

‘Oh, you want to play with the wagon  _ with  _ me, I get it now,’ Sothis says to herself, and she sits next to the wagon and passes it back to Dimitri. 

~~~

“It must be difficult not being able to raise Dimitri by yourself, isn’t it?” Sitri asks Maria, walking slowly down the hall as they approach the makeshift playroom for their children.

“I can manage most days,” Maria answers, rubbing her tired eyes, “But the journey from Fhirdiad was truly exhausting. It has been some time since I’ve last traveled like this.”

Sitri nods at Maria’s words, though she is still deathly worried about the woman. “So long as you’re here, you needn’t worry too much. With Hanneman, I’m sure that you will be just fine.”

“Thank you,” Maria says as they reach the door to the playroom. They enter quietly, and spot the maid shaking her head at the children as they roll a ball back and forth between each other.

“Oh my,” Maria says quietly, shocked at the game the children are playing. 

“Is something wrong?” Sitri asks, concerned. 

“It’s… nothing major, but,” Maria looks between Sothis and Dimitri as the ball rolls between them, “I could never get Dimitri to play with me like this.” 

“It’s the girl,” the maid says, drawing both of their attention, “I mean this in the best way possible, so no offense, but she is far too smart for her own good.” 

“You mean,” Maria takes a step back, “Sothis taught Dimitri how to play with the ball?” 

“Mmmhmm,” the maid says as the children notice their mothers’ return. 

Sothis darts over to Sitri as Dimitri does the same with Maria. Sitri picks up Sothis with little issue, while the maid gets down to pick up Dimitri and hands him to Maria. 

“Why, hello my little trouble maker,” Sitri says with a smile, “Giving the maid a hard time as usual, I see.” 

‘Well, it’s not my fault she’s dense,’ Sothis tries to say, but comes out as, “Wee batta foof!”

“What about you, Dimitri?” Maria says playfully, “Did you have fun?”

Dimitri raises his arms and exclaims, “Peh!” 

Maria and Sitri giggle at the young boy’s exclamation, causing the boy to look at them confused as Sothis tells him, ‘They always do this. Mothers are weird.’

‘Weird…’ Dimitri replies as he looks over at Sothis. 

Maria looks over at Sothis and says, “If you don’t mind, maybe we can trade kids for a moment?”

“Oh sure, it’s no problem at all,” Sitri says excitedly. 

‘You’re giving me to her?!’ Sothis says in shock, ‘And I didn’t need to crawl over to her?! YES!’

Maria hands Dimitri to the maid before Sitri hands Sothis to her, and the maid hands Dimitri over to Sitri. 

“Hello, Sothis,” Maria says, smiling at the child, “It’s nice to see you.” 

‘Yep, and you’ll probably thank me in a few years for this,’ Sothis replies silently in her head, already feeling her mana build within her. 

Sitri looks down at Dimitri and says, “Hi, young prince.”

Dimirti’s expression could only be described as pure confusion, though he doesn’t do anything to try and escape or cry out for his own mother. Sitri looks up and immediately notices Sothis preparing for a sneeze. “Maria, watch out. She’s having a mana burst.” 

Maria backs her head away as Sothis unleashes a forceful sneeze, a puff of misty green mana filling the air, and causes the young child to shiver slightly as the mana escapes her body before relaxing into Maria’s arms. 

‘Good,’ Sothis thinks, ‘You should be- *growl*… great… forgot about that part.’

“Oh my,” Maria says, “Does this happen often with her?”

“Every time, actually,” Sitri says as she hands Dimitri over to the maid, “I will always hand her to someone and, if it isn’t myself, her father, one of the twins, or mother, she will have a mana burst and I will need to feed her immediately after. I don’t know why, but it will always happen.” 

‘At least this time it was for a good reason and not self defense,’ Sothis thinks bitterly as she is taken by her mother once again. Sothis can already see the sickly aura around the Queen grow brighter as the mana burst does its intended job. 

“Well, I think a little someone here needs to get ready for bed,” Maria says as she gently takes Dimitri from the maid, “I guess we’ll see you tomorrow, them.” 

“Yes, goodnight Maria,” Sitri says as she walks over to the door before turning back, “Say goodnight, Sothis.” 

“Ahhahh,” Sothis says while waving at Dimitri, Maria, and the exasperated maid before Sitri walks out and starts walking home. 

~~~

Sitri and Sothis arrive at their home. It is a quaint little cabin built just outside of the monastery, a small, picket fence surrounding the property to deter any wolves or bears that could come through. Jeralt, Alois, and Aelfric, with small assistance from the twins of course, had finished building it just before Sothis had been born, so it was large enough for the whole family. 

Sitri enters the house into the main living and dining room, a small fireplace crackling warmly on the wall left of the door. The hallway right leads to the bedrooms where Byleth, Alexi and, recently, Sothis sleep while a door at the back leads to Sitri and Jeralt’s bedroom. In the living room proper, Jeralt is currently reading a book to the tired looking twins resting against him, both of whom seem ready to pass out. 

“And then the beast fled from the city, never to be seen again,” Jeralt finishes as he closes the book, saying, “Now off with you runts.” 

The twins jump from the couch and hug their mother and father goodnight before rushing over to their rooms. Jeralt stands from the couch and embraces his wife tenderly, planting a kiss on her lips as he says, “Are you sure you want to try again tonight?”

“I’m certain,” Sitri says confidently, her smile mischievous, “If Sothis doesn’t start eating solid food soon, how will she eat her cake on her birthday? Besides, with most of her teeth having grown in, it’s started to become painful to continue breast feeding her.”

“I understand,” Jeralt says, “Let’s start her with the mashed carrots from last night and see if she’ll take any bread tonight.” 

“Ok,” Sitri says, walking over to a baby chair she had made for Sothis and sitting her in it, “Ok, Sothis. It’s time for dinner.” 

Sothis, very grumpy from having to wait for her food for so long, tries to say, ‘You made me wait… for mashed carrots… AGAIN!’ but it comes out as, “Mah cass gan!”

“Yes, mashed carrots again, your favorite,” Sitri says with a broad smile as Jeralt pours a small amount of the carrots into a small bowl. 

As Sitri takes the bowl, Sothis looks over at her father, and pleads silently, ‘Wait… I want you to do it…’ 

“Ok, Sothis, say ahh,” Sitri says as she scoops a spoonful of the goop, bringing it close to Sothis’s mouth, which the child keeps shut. 

“Oh, come on Sothis,” Sitri says triedly, “You’re never like this…” 

Sitri tries to get Sothis to open her mouth, but the child stubbornly refuses to do so, thinking, ‘No, I want daddy to… wait!’

As Sitri pulls back the spoon once again, Sothis slaps her hands on her legs and loudly exclaims, “DADA!” 

Sitri stops and gasps, staring at her daughter as she can hear Jeralt drop a slice of bread on the floor. Sitri lowers the spoon and asks, “Did… did you just…” 

Sothis, not yet deterred, points at her father and says once again, “Dada!”

Jeralt looks at his daughter, and cautiously walks over and kneels next to the baby chair as he whispers, “You... you…” 

Neither parent is able to form words as they stare at their daughter, with Sitri on the verge of tears and Jeralt barely able to hold himself together. 

After a few tense seconds, Jeralt finally asks, “You… want me… to feed you… tonight?” 

Sothis, happy that they finally got the point, just reaches out and grabs her father’s arm and says, “Dada,” once more.

This is enough to finally break Sitri as she leans against Jeralt while he just plants a kiss on his daughter's forehead, saying though tears, “If.. if that’s what you want, then yes.” 

Once Sitri is able to collect herself somewhat, Jeralt switches places with her and takes her seat as he grabs the bowl. He scoops a small spoonful of the mashed carrots and says, “Ok, say ‘ah’ for me.” Sothis doesn’t protest anymore, and opens her mouth wide open to accept the spoonful of carroty goodness from her ‘dada’. 

~~~

That night, Sothis found herself in an odd dream. 

Normally, her dreams would have her square off against heinous beasts, all powerless to stop her in her eternal quest for world domination (well, dream world domination). Sometimes, she would explore ancient temples, hunting for lost treasure whilst dodging traps and blow darts. Although, once, and only once, did she have a nightmare. In it, she came face to face with a terrifying specter, a man with white eyes and pale skin, glaring down at her vulnerable form. What disturbed her however, was how silent he was. He wasn’t laughing, crying, or even talking, just watching her struggle against an unseen force. In fact, this nightmare came from her first dream, the first time she understood the feeling of utter, helpless fear before she could even put a word to it. She was quite loud when she finally awoke, her mother and father doing everything they could to calm her down. Since that frightful night, the pale man had never returned, and Sothis resolved to make herself as brave as possible if he came back, hence her adventurous dreams. 

But tonight, unlike her other dreams, she is sitting on a cloudy plain, with nothing more than the clear yellow sky around her. ‘Yellow?’ she asks herself, ‘That’s weariness. Something isn’t right.’ 

She starts crawling in a random direction, and immediately spots a figure in the distance. She stops in her tracks, fearful that it could be the pale man, but puts on her brave face as she tells herself, ‘Relax, Sothis. You’ve trained for this.’

She immediately makes a bee line over to the figure, and crawling as fast as her arms and legs can carry her, stopping once she can see the figure a little bit better. She tilts her head as this other child looks at her, equal expressions of confusion written on their faces. 

‘This isn’t the pale man,’ Sothis gets a little closer for a better look, ‘In fact, he’s anything but pale.’

The boy had dark hair and green eyes, and his skin was indeed far too dark to be even remotely pale. He wore an uninteresting night shirt, made of very light cloth that covered from his shoulders down to his knees, lacking any remarkable decoration or distinct coloring. He sat looking at Sothis as she attempted to ask him, ‘What’s your name?’

‘K... kal…Khalid…’ the boy forces out of his mind, gasping in surprise by what he had just done. 

‘Khalid?’ Sothis tilts her head at the boy, confused by the name, ‘Where are you from?’

This ‘Khalid’ looks away, spotting two more figures in the distance tackling each other. ‘Who?’ He simply asks, watching as the figures fall over. 

‘I don’t know,’ Sothis says, ‘Let’s find out.’ 

Sothis and Khalid crawl over to the apparently fighting figures, and Sothis’s eyes widen when she recognizes one of them by their blue night shirt with a golden lion’s head. ‘Dimitri?’ 

‘Sothy?’ Dimitri asks, looking away from the other child, who then proceeds to tackle him to the ground with a mighty screech, not too dissimilar to an eagle. 

‘Hey!’ Sothis says, trying to pull the child off of Dimitri, ‘Leave him alone.’ 

Once she separates the new girl from Dimitri (with Khalid just giggling with amusement and not being of any help whatsoever), Sothis gets a good look at her. She has tense pale-violet eyes, and her hair is a light auburn. She wears a solid red nightgown with a two headed black eagle emblazoned on its front. Sothis can sense an air of stubbornness from the girl, but for some reason is drawn to it. Sothis calmly crawls to her and asks, ‘What’s your name?’

“El!” the girl shouts, causing Dimitri and Khalid to crawl away from her quickly. However, Sothis is completely unfazed, and only crawls closer to the girl. 

‘El…is it short for something?” Sothis asks.

‘Uh… E… del… gard,’ ‘El’ answers, looking at the ground as she concentrates. 

“You know, I think I’ll stick with El. That’s an easy name, unlike Khalid,’ Sothis replies, which causes the boy in question to glare back at her, ‘I’m Sothis.’ 

‘S...so...this?’ El repeats, mildly confused but calming down.

‘Yes,’ Sothis replies, further calming the girl as she asks, ‘Do you want to be our friend?’

‘F-friend?’ El asks back, with Dimitri looking at Sothis in shock while Khalid just looks mildly amused with the situation. 

‘Yes, our friend,’ Sothis replies, further adding, ‘But only if you apologize to Dimitri for tackling him.’

El looks over at Dimitri and crawls over to him, causing him to sit upright as she pulls him into an embrace, saying quietly, ‘I’m sowwy.’ 

‘Good,’ Sothis smiles at the pair, ‘Now… just what are we going to do tonight.’ Ultimately, Sothis didn’t really care for what was going on. She had a few new friends tonight, and who knows, maybe they’ll come back for another adventure together. She just had to wait and see.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is fluffier than a sheep after a bath. Hope you all didn't die from the adorableness.


	4. The Crest

Sothis awoke the next morning, now somewhat confused as to what had happened. ‘Since when could other people invade my dream space, and why Dimitri of all people?’

*growl*

‘Uh oh… feeding time,’ Sothis thinks as she rolls over in her crib. 

Quite unexpectedly, instead of her mother coming in, her father enters, saying, “Good morning,” with a broad grin. 

Sothis gets a grin of her own as she looks right at him, exclaiming as he gets closer, “Dada!” 

“Yes,” Jeralt says, a single tear falling down his face as he picks her up, “It’s me.” He holds Sothis close as he walks out of the room and down the hall to the living room where Sitri is stitching a dress together while Alexi and Byleth play wrestle each other. 

Sitri looks up and sees her daughter awake, smiling as she says, “You slept in late today.”

‘Well, it’s kind of hard to wake up when running from a rolling boulder,’ Sothis tries to reply, but instead says, “Wak fa bol.” 

Sitri just giggles merrily and says, “You must’ve had a crazy dream, then.” 

Byleth and Alexi untangle themselves, and the former asks, “Are we leaving soon?”

“Well, now that your sister is awake, we’ll be leaving once she’s changed and had something to eat,” Jeralt answers, handing Sothis to Sitri so she can be changed and fed. 

‘Leaving?’ Sothis thinks, ‘Where are we going?’ 

She looks up at her mother expectantly, and Sitri explains, “We’re going to Hanneman today. We’re going to see if you and your siblings have a crest or not.”

‘Oh, Handy-man,’ Sothis thinks, ‘I don’t like him.’ 

Sothis just keeps her expression neutral as Sitri finishes with changing her, and grabs the sling from a nearby hook to hold Sothis. 

As this happens, Alexi and Byleth also get themselves ready, Alexi grabbing a jacket as Byleth pulls a cardigan over her shoulders while their father doesn’t really do anything until his wife and children are ready. 

~~~

The family is walking down the hallway to Hanneman’s office, the royal family already waiting for them outside. 

“Ah, you made it,” Lambert greets, “Hanneman said he needed to finish calibrating the crest analyzer.”

“Good,” Jeralt says, “Hopefully he’ll finish soon.”

‘Hello, Dimitri,’ Sothis says silently, drawing a curious glance from her siblings. 

‘Sothy!’ Dimitri exclaims, his eyes locking with hers. 

‘Hm, I thought you didn’t want to be with him,’ Byleth teases, remembering her sister’s misgivings the day before. 

‘Shut up,’ Sothis retorts, causing both Alexi and Byleth to start giggling at her as Dimitri tilts his head in confusion. 

While Lambert and Maria look at the twins with concern, Jeralt groans loudly, explaining, “They’re always like this. It’s almost like they can read each other’s minds.”

Suddenly, Hanneman opens his door and says, “In that case, perhaps we can finally settle it by seeing if it has something relating to their crests, if they have one.”

“Good,” Sitri says, “Can we come in?”

“By all means,” Hanneman says as he steps away from the door, allowing everyone to enter. Inside, they find Rhea standing by Hanneman’s desk, looking over a letter. 

“Good morning, Lady Rhea,” Lambert greets, amicably, “How have you been?”

“Alright,” Rhea replies, not looking up from the letter, “Apparently the Empire has identified a second crest bearer among the imperial children, the second youngest specifically, a young girl named Edelgard.”

‘Edelgard… you mean El from last night?’ Sothis thinks to herself as Dimitri’s eyes light up at the mention of the name.

“Really?” Sitri asks, somewhat shocked, “Of all the children, only two have a crest?”

“Yes, and unfortunately both bear only the minor Crest of Seiros,” Rhea explains with a sigh, “And given how unstable the Empire is right now, at this rate, the imperial nobility might stage an uprising against Emperor Ionius.”

“Unfortunately,” Jeralt repeats before saying, “But that’s neither here nor there. I’m sure they will be able to work it out.”

“I pray that you're right, Captain,” Rhea says as she puts the letter on the desk and says, “Now then, speaking of Crests…” as she gestures towards Hanneman. 

“Indeed”, Hanneman says enthusiastically, casting a small spell to activate the crest analyzer in the middle of the room, “I’m fairly certain I don’t need to explain the minor details to the younger folk except a few things. First, for the twins, given your age, I will need a blood sample from each of you for your tests.”

“A… blood sample?” Byleth asks timidly, Alexi unable to form words out of fear. 

“Yes,” Hanneman confirms, “It won’t be bad, I promise. Would you feel better if I give a demonstration?”

The twins nods readily as Hanneman says, “Very well then. First, we have to activate or reset the analyzer. I’ve already activated the analyzer, so that step won’t need to be taken. Second, I have a few needles that I will need to prick your fingers with. It will only sting like a bug bite for a brief moment, like so.” 

Hanneman holds his figure up to the twins as he presses a needle into it. He flinched briefly before withdrawing the needle, a small droplet of blood forming on the wound.

“That’s the scary part over with,” Hanneman says, “Once a sizable sample forms, you just have to hold it over the analyzer, let it drop onto the lens, and…” The drop of blood falls into the analyzer, and it’s image suddenly shifts. It twists and turns a few times until the shape of a crest, specifically the Crest of Indech, appears. 

“Wow,” Alexi says in astonishment, “I didn’t know you have a crest.”

“Indeed I do,” Hanneman says with a broad grin, “Do you want to see if you have a crest?” Alexi nods readily as Hanneman resets and cleans the analyzer before Alexi steps forward, presenting his finger to the man. 

“Ok,” Hanneman says as he holds Alexi’s fingers, “This will only sting for a moment.”

Alexi nods, and puts on a brave face as Hanneman brings the needle closer and closer. When the needle pierces skin, Alexi yelps with pain as Hanneman quickly withdraws the needle, a droplet of blood forming on the wound. 

“That hurt,” Alexi complains, pulling his fingers to his chest. 

“But it’s over now, is it not?” Hanneman chuckles as he guides Alexi to the analyzer. Alexi allows the drop of his blood to fall onto the analyzer, and it’s image warps and twists as expected. However, once the image settles, it is in an unfamiliar, incomplete shape, drawing a confused hum from Hanneman. 

“Did it work?” Alexi asks as the adults in the room share a confused look with each other. 

“I want to say yes,” Hanneman says, “I mean, if you didn’t have a crest, the image would not have changed. All I can safely say is that you indeed do have a crest, I just can’t even fathom a guess as to what it could be.”

Alexi looks at the analyzer in wonder as Hanneman says, “Alright, next subject please.”

The same procedure happens with Byleth, with a little more resistance from the girl before she allowed Hanneman to prick her finger. After the blood meets the analyzer, the image shifts once again, but this time a mirror of her brother’s crest image appears. 

“Remarkable,” Hanneman whispers as he looks at the device, “You and your brother might have the same crest, but I still can’t even guess as to what it could be.”

“O...ok,” Byleth says meekly, cradling her fingers while her father holds her. 

“Maybe someday we’ll know for certain,” Jeralt assures his daughter, “For now, I think we should allow Dimitri to get his test done.”

“Yes,” Hanneman nods, “Since he and Sothis are still so young, I will only take a hair sample from each of them. It will take longer, but I can have the results available before you have to leave, your highness.”

“Very well, then,” Lambert says, “Let’s get this over with.” Lambert holds his son out to Hanneman as he snips a sample of his hair. Hanneman places the hairs on the analyzer, the device glowing but the image only swirling, before turning to Sothis and does the same with her hair, placing it on a small dish on his desk. 

“Ok,” Hanneman says, “With any luck, I’ll have Dimitri’s result ready by this afternoon, before you have to leave. Until then, please enjoy your day.” 

~~~

The two families are in the tea garden, the pair of infants chasing the twins around while the parents are sitting at a table drinking tea. 

“Do you really have to leave so soon?” Sitri asks, “You’ve only just got here?” 

“I’m afraid we don’t have much of a choice,” Lambert says with a sigh, “As we were leaving Fhirdiad, Margrave Gautier had reported that a number of his people had fallen ill, and fears that the plague has come to the kingdom.” 

“Oh that’s terrible,” Jeralt exclaims, “Has it been contained?” 

“The Margrave thought it was,” Lambert begins, “But last night, Lord Rodrigue sent me a message that this plague had spread to his territory as well as House Dominic’s and House Galatea’s territories.” 

“Oh no,” Sitri whispers, covering her mouth in shock and worry, “Will the church need to help?” 

“I’ve already discussed this with Lady Rhea this morning,” Lambert answers, “She said she can spare a few mages, but beyond that, there isn’t much that can be done. I just hope that a miracle can happen before then.” 

Jeralt looks down at his tea cup, mulling over a few reports that he had read and says, “You know, there might be help you can get from the empire.” 

“Really?” Maria asks, “Who could possibly want to help us from there?” 

“There is a mage named Cornelia,” Jeralt answers, “I only know of her because several knights stationed on the border stated that she crossed over to the kingdom not too terribly long ago. Based on what I could gather, she is one of the most powerful mages to ever come out of the Empire, though I couldn’t find anything relating to her departure. I’d suggest seeking her out and, with any luck, she might be able to contain and possibly exterminate this plague before it gets out of hand.” 

Lambert nods quietly, and says, “I’ll keep that in mind. For right now though, we just need to contain it.” 

As the parent’s conversation changes to a less serious topic, Byleth and Alexi slow down and allow the infants a chance to ‘tackle’ them to the ground. 

“Oh no!” Byleth mock exclaims as she dramatically, but carefully, falls to the ground as Dimitri crawls onto her, “He got me! Save yourself!” 

“I can’t,” Alexi shouts back as he also falls as Sothis crawls on him, “She got me too!” 

‘MWAHAHAHAH!’ Sothis laughs evilly once she has her brother pinned, ‘The Dragon Queen and the Lion of the North reign supreme!’

‘Yay!’ Dimitri simply says, his imagination less adventurous than Sothis’s.

‘The Lion of the North?’ Alexi asks silently. 

‘Yep!’ Sothis nods at her brother, ‘Do you not like it?’ 

‘Like it!’ Dimitri projects angrily while glaring at Alexi. 

‘I like it, I like it,’ Alexi says in fear, ‘It actually fits for you.’ 

‘You know what I think Lion,’ Byleth says, drawing the young boy's attention, ‘I think you have a new prey to catch.’

Dimitri tilts his head at Byleth and asks, ‘Prey?’

Byleth rolls her eyes and says, ‘Just go and chase him.’ 

‘Ok,’ Dimitri says as crawls off of Byleth and goes after Alexi. 

‘UH… Sothis,’ Alexi asks nervously, ‘Please get off me.’ 

‘Hmmmm… nope,’ Sothis says with an evil grin as Dimitri barrels into Alexi and climbs onto him. 

‘Win!’ Dimitri declares as he raises his arms in victory. 

Alexi just turns his head to glare at his now standing twin as he says, ‘I hate you.’ 

~~~

A few hours pass, and the children are all completely exhausted from playing cat and mouse with each other. 

‘Sooooo tired,’ Sothis says sleepily as she rests against her sister’s belly, ‘I need to… *growl*… eat. Stomach says I need to eat.’ 

‘Eat…’ Dimitri says grumpily as well, his own stomach growling at him. 

“Mommy,” Byleth calls out, “I think Sothis is hungry.” 

“Dimitri too,” Alexi says as he helps Dimitri sit upright. 

Sitri stands to collect Sothis, the young child eagerly crawling over to her as Lambert stands to collect his son and hand him off to Maria. 

“We’ll step out for a little bit,” Sitri tells the fathers as she and Maria walk away with the infants. 

“As for you two troublemakers,” Jeralt says, “I’ve arranged a small surprise for you in the student’s training grounds with Alois today. I think it’d be best if we go ahead and meet him.” 

“Ok,” Byleth agrees excitedly, “Will the King be coming too?” 

“Well,” Lambert says with a slight tilt to his head, “I don’t think I have anything better to do, so why not.” 

They walk out of the tea garden into the main courtyard, and are greeted by the old barracks. It’s only a single story tall, with the wooden structure visibly degraded in a few places. Most of the people give it a wide berth, especially the academy students as they eye it wearily. 

“So when is this old monstrosity getting removed?” Lambert asks, “When I attended the academy, one of the rooms had actually collapsed.” 

“Once the new barracks is finished,” Jeralt answers, “Unfortunately, we’ve only just broken ground on that project. For right now, the academy students are staying in the next town over, but when this project begins, we’re suspending all academy functions until a new set of student dormitories are built in its place.” 

“That’s actually not a bad idea,” Lambert says with a slight nod, “Perhaps when your kids are enrolled, they’ll stay in the new building.” 

“That’s the hope,” Jeralt says as they near the training arena, but grumbles quietly “If we don’t suffer any setbacks on the barracks project that is.” 

The four enter the training arena, largely empty save for one of the archery instructors guiding a group of students on proper bow technique and Alois standing in the main training pit with a pair of wooden swords in his hands and a pair of miniature training dummies on either side of him. 

“Well well well,” Alois exclaims, drawing a brief glare from the archery instructor, “It seems my students have arrived.” 

“Students?” Alexi asks before realizing just who he was referring to, “Wait…” 

“We’re learning today?” Byleth asks excitedly, jumping in place as her father chuckles at her. 

“Yes you two,” Jeralt nods at his kids, “Your first lessons are today.” He kneels down to their level and says, “Now listen. Lambert and I need to discuss a few things in private, so we won’t be able to watch you, but your mother and Maria might come here once the infants are settled. I need the both of you to be on your best behavior and to listen to Alois as he teaches you. Am I clear?” 

“Yes, sir,” the twins say in unison, earring a grunt of approval from their father. 

Jeralt stands up and looks over at Alois as he says, “Their all yours, Lieutenant!” 

“Of course, Captain,” Alois says with a broad smile, beaconing the twins over as he says, “Ok. Let’s get started on your first lesson.” 

~~~

Alexi has a serious expression as he thrust his wooden sword into the stuffed chest of the training dummy. He was born for this sort of tedious, repetitive work; his countless victories in staring contests proved it. Although his strikes were incredibly shallow, they struck true in the center every time, a satisfying thump from hitting the wooden beam inside. As for his sister, while her strikes were nowhere near as accurate, she packed a greater punch than him, her dummy needing to be replaced once every ten strikes. Alexi also knew that Byleth had an incredible amount of patients as well, though she could never reach his level. 

*Crack* 

At last, Byleth broke the last dummy, as well as snapping her wooden sword.

“Awww,” Byleth groans in defeat, “I broke it.” 

“That just means we need to get you a sword made of denser wood is all,” Alois reassures her, “It is not a big deal.” 

“What about me?” Alexi asks. 

“Well, your sword is still in good shape, and you’ve managed to strike the center of the target about 95 percent of the time,” Alois praises, “I dare say that you would probably be better suited for a lance while Byleth takes an ax from here onward.” 

“I think I would like that,” Alexi says, “What about you sis?” 

“I want to try an ax,” Byleth says in agreement, “It didn’t feel right when I used the sword.” 

“Perhaps not today,” Alois advises, “After all, we’re out of training dummies and the academy students still need to use the training grounds. Oh, and one more thing: it’s best to take a break anytime you can to avoid any unwanted injuries. You’ll stay healthier that way.” 

“Ok,” the twins say in unison before thanking Alois for the training. 

As they step out, Hanneman comes running down the hallway, his eyes glittering with excitement, saying, “Lieutenant Alois! Have you seen the captain!” 

“I think he should be at the gate by now,” he answers, “I was about to take the twins there to see the king off.” 

“Let me follow then” Hanneman says, “Might as well kill two birds with one stone.” 

The four walk away from the training grounds and towards the front gates. Once there, they thankfully find it not too terribly full, a clear path leading to the king's carriage as Sitri and Jeralt exchange final farewells to the royal family. 

“Excuse me, your highness,” Hanneman politely interrupts, “I just wanted to see you off as well as show you the results of your son’s test.” 

Hanneman hands a piece of paper over to the king, and Lambert looks it over as a bright smile adorns his face. “Is this true?” 

“Indeed,” Hanneman nods, “Your son bears the Crest of Blaiddyd.” 

Lambert’s smile only seems to grow bigger as he takes Hanneman’s hand and says, “Thank you for letting us know.” 

“Of course your highness,” Hanneman says before turning to face Jeralt and Sitri, “As for Sothis… I think it would be best if I showed you what happened.” 

“O...k…” Jeralt says nervously before addressing the king, “It was certainly a pleasure seeing you again. I do pray this plague is brought under control soon.” 

“I wish for the same captain,” Lambert agrees as he boards the carriage. “I wish you all well, and to stay safe.” 

“Indeed we will,” Sitri says as she shifts Sothis so she can see the carriage better, “Say goodbye, Sothis.” 

Sothis reaches her arm out and waves at the king as the carriage doors close, and the driver snaps his reins to urge the horses to go forward, taking the royal family back to Fhirdiad. 

“Ok,” Jeralt says as he turns to Hanneman, “What did you need to show us.”

~~~

The family follows Hanneman into his office once again, the crest analyzer deactivated with Sothis’s hair sitting on top. 

“It was absolutely bizarre,” Hanneman says, “Dimitri’s test went exactly as expected, but your daughter’s test…”

“Perhaps another hair sample would work?” Sitri suggests. 

“Maybe,” Hanneman says as he cleans and activates the analyzer. The image in the lens appears, but instead of a blank background, it appears fuzzy and distorted. “I’ll need to recalibrate the analyzer, but it shouldn’t take too long.” 

Hanneman turns a few screws and twists the lens until the image is uniform once again as Jeralt gently snips a few strands of Sothis’s hair. 

‘Oh, that’s just great, ruin my hair even more,’ Sothis says grumpily, glaring at her father. 

“Please don’t look at me like that,” Jeralt sighs, “You’re almost like your mother when you glare at me.” 

“I wonder why?” Sitri asks with a crooked eyebrow, causing her husband to slink back in shame. 

“Ok,” Hanneman says, drawing their attention, “Let’s try again.” Jeralt places Sothis’s hair on the analyzer, and the image starts to shift, as expected. However, before any definite shape appears, the analyzer just starts glowing bright white, not enough to blind anyone, but enough that those present have to shield their eyes. After a few minutes, the image dims, and the same distorted pattern they saw before appears. 

“See,” Hanneman says, “Either something is wrong with the analyzer, or we may need to take a different approach in the test. I don’t want to have to resort to a blood test, but that may be our only option.” 

Jeralt, Sitri and the twins all look at Sothis, the infant trying to say, ‘Like Hell you're pricking me with a needle!’ but it comes out as, “Bah na neda!”

Sitri and Jeralt share a brief look at each other and the latter says, “Byleth, Alexi, step outside for a minute. It might get loud.” 

~~~

Byleth and Alexi stand away from the door, listening to Sothis as she struggles against her father’s grip while Hanneman tries to prick her finger. 

“What are the two of you doing out here?” Someone asks from their right. They turn their heads and see Aelfric standing there. 

“Hanneman said he needs a blood test from Sothis,” Byleth answers. 

“Really?” Aelfric asks, very shocked, “I thought he only needed a hair sample.”

“The test didn’t work,” Alexi explains, “It broke the analyzer… I think.” 

Just then, they all hear a  _ loud  _ cry from their sister, and Aelfric just sighs in defeat as he says, “No turning back now, I guess.” 

However, just a few seconds later, they hear the crest analyzer make a weird noise, and a very bright light emits from under the door. The twins share a concerned look with each other as Aelfric steps closer to the door. Then, the light dies down, and they hear a collective gasp of shock from everyone inside. Even Sothis, who had been crying loudly until the light happened, was silent. They look at the door handle shake a few times as someone fumbles with it, and Hanneman’s head pops out and says, “Someone get the Archbishop.” 

“I’ll do it,” Byleth volunteers immediately, running down the hall to the audience chamber. 

“But… I’m an adult,” Aelfric complains, “Let me get her.” 

“Um… you may want to see this too, Aelfric,” Hanneman suggests, “You are her Godfather after all.” 

~~~

Byleth runs up to the audience chamber doors, and politely, as he mother taught her, asks the guards, “Is the Archbishop available? Hanneman needs to speak with her.” 

The guards, whose hidden faces just grin at the adorable young girl, open the doors to allow Byleth to enter. Inside, she sees her grandmother finishing writing a letter on her throne. 

“Hello, grammy,” Byleth says amicably, drawing her attention as she grins back. 

“Hello, Byleth,” Rhea replies as she puts the letter off to the side, “Did you need something?” 

“Hanneman does,” Byleth answers, drawing a confused hum from Rhea, “He said to come get you.” 

“What could’ve possibly happened?” Rhea asks as she stands, “If it were truly urgent, he would’ve come to get me himself.” 

“Well,” and Byleth explains what had happened, from tests first failure to the bright light under the door, Rhea listening intently as they walk to Hanneman’s office. 

“That’s when he stuck his head out and asked for someone to get you,” Byleth finishes as they reach Hanneman’s door. Rhea looks down pensively, and calmly opens the door to enter the room. Inside, they find everyone looking at the crest analyzer in amazement. 

“What’s happened?” Rhea asks, drawing only Hanneman’s attention. 

“Come and see,” Hanneman beacons. Rhea walks over with Byleth next to her. She looks down at the analyzer and gasps at the image. 

Rhea, in a contradiction of her image, whispers, “It… it’s… it’s th-… the crest of Flames….” 

“Indeed it is,” Hanneman says as he hastily scribbled down a number of notes on his paper, “And I don’t think it’s just Sothis who bears it.” 

“You mean…?” Rhea asks. 

“All of them, Sothis, Byleth and Alexi, bear this crest,” Hanneman explains, “The left and right sides are an identical match to the images we saw when the twins did their tests. There are three bearers walking among us…” Hanneman pulls a handkerchief to wipe his face off tears and sweat, “And we didn’t even know until today.” 

“I knew it,” Sitri whispers quietly as she holds Sothis tightly, “I always knew it….”

‘The crest of Flames…’ Sothis thinks to herself as she sucks on her injured finger, ‘Maybe I am special after all.’

“It certainly explains why the three of them go silent with each other all the time,” Alefric says, causing Jeralt to groan in defeat. 

“And here I thought they would grow out of it some day,” Jeralt says. 

“But this information… once it reaches the general public,” Rhea says worriedly, “Goddess only knows just who would want to come after them.” 

“In that case,” Sitri says, “We’ll just have to train them to defend themselves, right?” 

“I mean,” Jeralt scratches the back of his head, “The twins just had their first lesson today. Not to mention that we already plan on enrolling them in the academy once they come of age, so…” 

“It’s Sothis I’m worried about,” Rhea says, “She’s still so young, and she won’t be able to defend herself for years.” 

“We’ll protect her,” Byleth and Alexi say in unison. 

“You will?” Aelfric asks, “But… you’re just-” 

“She’s our sister,” Byleth interrupts, “Besides, we want to keep her safe.” 

‘YES!’ Sothis tries to exclaim, but it comes out as, “Yeeeeech!” 

“Are you sure?” Sitri asks all three of her children, and all three nod at her in agreement. 

Jeralt just chuckles at his kids’ enthusiasm and says, “In that case, it looks we may have to schedule more training sessions with the lot of you.” 

“And I’ll have to start planning a course in the use of magic for the youngest one,” Aelfric says, “Between the three, Sothis is the only one that has shown any aptitude for magic.” 

“I would help,” Hanneman says as he eyes Sothis warily, “But I don’t think she likes me right now.” 

‘And I probably never will, you assailant,’ Sothis eyes the man grumpily. 

“In that case,” Rhea says, “We’d best get some rest for the night as I’m sure everyone has had a very long day today.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Still Alive!  
> My main story will be updated on Monday, but I figured this one deserved a little update.  
> ANYWAY, hope everyone is doing well and staying safe, and hopefully this chapter can help people take their minds off things for a little bit.


	5. The Birthday

Jeralt and Sitri mull over the letter they have received, the former humming as he reads its contents. 

“It seems that Cornelia made it just in time,” Jeralt says, “She has Maria in intensive care right now and got her stabilized the night before this letter was sent.” 

“I really do pray that she pulls through,” Sitri whispers, “She was finally doing so well a few weeks ago.” 

“We’ll have to wait and see,” Jeralt says as he puts the letter down, “Besides, it’s our daughter’s birthday today. We needn’t make our children worry when they don’t have to.” 

“You’re right,” Sitri agrees as she stands from the couch, “I’m going to see if she’s awake yet.” 

Jeralt nods at her and leaves the couch as well, stepping outside their home to collect a few logs for a fire tonight. 

“Captain Jeralt,” Alois calls from the road, a woman Jeralt didn’t recognize holding his hand. She has moderately dark hair and piercing blue eyes, and her body would surely send any man head over heels for her; well, any single man at least. 

“Alois,” Jeralt replies as Alois approaches, “I see you finally snagged someone.” 

“Well,” Alois scratches the back of his head and blushes while the woman chuckles at his embarrassment, “We’ve… been dating for a few months now. Just didn’t cross my mind to let you know.” 

The woman rolls her eyes and extends her hand out, saying, “You must be the famous ‘Blade Breaker” Jeralt, then?” 

“Indeed I am,” Jeralt replies, taking her hand as he asks, “And you are?” 

“Abigail,” she answers, “My father is one of the hunters for Remire, just west of here.” 

“Ahhhhh,” Jeralt says with realization in his eyes, “Is that the reason why you take so much time off every other month?” 

“Maybe,” Alois says with a shrug, “I just figured I could invite her here for Sothis’s birthday is all.” 

“I don’t think Sitri will mind,” Jeralt says as he opens the door, “Do come in.” Alexi steps to the door, only for a pair of loud voices to come from within.

“Uncle Ali!” The twins exclaim once he’s past the threshold, nearly tackling the young man to the ground. 

“Ah!” He exclaims, grabbing the door frame to hold himself upright, “Hey Byleth, Alexi. There’s someone I want to introduce you to.” 

“Who?” Alexi asks. 

Alois stands up once the twins back away, and he steps aside to allow Abigail to enter, “This is my girlfriend, Abigail. Abigail, this is Byleth and Alexi, Jeralt’s twins.” 

“Hello,” Byleth says with a broad grin while waving her hand as Alexi just smiles and waves at her. 

“It’s a pleasure to meet you two,” Abigail says, nodding her head at them. 

“Who’s that?” Sitri asks from down the hall, turning with Sothis in her arms. 

“Abigail,” the woman says.

“Oh, you must be with Alois,” Sitri realizes, “I’m Sitri, it’s a pleasure to meet you.” Sitri extends her free hand to Abigail, shaking carefully until Abigail's eyes meet the baby’s. 

“Oh, and who’s this little one?” she asks. 

“Saw-tis!” the baby exclaims, causing Sitri to giggle merrily. 

“Almost,” Sitri replies, “It’s ‘So-this’. Say it with me, ‘So-this’.”

“So-this!” the baby says, giggling again once she gets it right. 

“Oh my,” Abigail says while holding her hands to her chest, “She can already say her name?” 

“And a few other words too,” Sitri explains, “Once she started saying ‘dada’, she just started picking up words one after another.” 

Sothis just squirms in her mother’s arms to hide, seemingly embarrassed by her praise, but this just causes Abigail to giggle at the display. 

“If we are ready,” Jeralt interjects, “I’d suggest we start heading to the chapel. Lady Rhea’s waiting on us.” 

“Oh, what does she have planned?” Abigail asks as Sitri walks to the table to get Sothis dressed. 

“Since it’s Sothis’s first birthday, she wants to go ahead and give her a blessing of good health during the sermon, as well as several other infants and toddlers that are being brought in today,” Jeralt explains, “It was mostly Sitri’s idea since the original plan was just for Sothis to get the blessing.” 

“That’s actually quite generous of you,” Abigail says to Sitri, “Was it difficult to convince her?” 

“Not really,” Sitri says after she finishes tying a small bow on Sothis’s head, “Mother wanted to do something special for today’s sermon, and I believe that everyone deserves a chance to participate. That, and with what’s happening in the Kingdom right now, the people need a ray of hope.” 

Abigail tilts her head in confusion as she looks at Sitri, asking, “Lady Rhea’s your mother?” Sitri nods in response while picking up Sothis. Abigail’s eyes grow wide for a minute before she just shrugs in acceptance. 

“Is she ready?” Jeralt asks his wife. 

“She certainly is,” Sitri replies, holding Sothis up so she stands on her feet. Her blue dress is elaborately decorated with golden images of dragons and the crests of Fodlan, all the seems bound by golden thread and the hems a frilly blue. She has plain white stockings and blue slippers on her feet, and a bright blue bow with the Crest of Flames in the middle on her head. 

“She’s adorable,” Abigail says. 

“I don’t think she likes the bow, though,” Byleth observes as Sothis swipes at the fabric on her head. 

“It’s only for the sermon,” Sitri says, picking Sothis up as Jeralt hands her the sling, “I know better than to leave it on for too long.” 

“Well then,” Jeralt says as Sitri secures Sothis, “We’d best be off.” 

~~~

The chapel in Garreg Mach is full of worshipers and their families, the hall echoing the voices of those congregated. More than a few of the mothers have to step outside with their children since the noise proved too much for their young ears. In a room off to the left, Rhea and Aelfric are having a quiet discussion. 

“So when will this Seteth arrive?” Aelfric asks, curious about this new advisor. 

“Not for a few more years, I’m afraid,” Rhea answers, “His mother has recently passed and he wants to ensure that his sister can take care of herself, otherwise he would be here sooner.” 

“Oh, that is truly a shame,” Aelfric says, “Has anyone been sent to help them?” 

“They requested that they be left alone for now,” Rhea says with a sigh, “I would normally object to their continued isolation, but with where they live and the dangers that surround the area, I feel that it would be best if we adhered to their wishes and left them be.” 

“Very well, then,” Aelfric replies before peaking out the door to watch the congregating worshipers, “Ah, I think Jeralt and the rest have arrived. Hm… Alois has brought someone as well.” 

“He has?” Rhea asks. 

“Yes, a woman. Dark hair, blue eyes,” Aelfric steps back in, “From the way they’re holding hands, I think Alois must’ve found a wife.”

“Don’t start assuming things until you can confirm it,” Rhea says as she points at the man, “I’d rather not impose on them if they do not wish for it.” 

“I’m just making a theory,” Aelfric defends as he raises his hands, “Nothing to get worked up about. I’m going to see if the organ is working today and help get the piano ready if not.” 

“Please do,” Rhea replies as he leaves. She takes a few minutes to look over herself in a mirror to ensure that her regalia is all in its place while she listens to the organ start bellowing a few notes before abruptly cutting off. “Fantastic,” she whispers begrudgingly, “Another item on the list of things that needs to be refurbished in this monastery.” 

“What happened with the organ?” Someone asks from the door, but she identifies the voice as her daughter.

“For once, I don’t know,” Rhea answers as she turns to look at Sitri, “The organ is very old, however, and is long overdue for repairs. If the budget can allow for it, once the new student dormitory is getting built, I’ll see if we can’t start restoration work on the organ as well.” 

“I’d imagine most of the pipes would need to be replaced or tuned as well,” Sitri says with a sigh, “It will be a shame for it to go silent for so long.” 

“But it will sing again,” Rhea reassures, “Just not today, I’m afraid.” She looks at her daughter’s arms and spots Sothis staring at her. “Well, hello there birthday girl.” 

Sothis just reaches out for Rhea, and she gladly picks up the child and holds her up to her shoulder. “How has she been?” Rhea asks Sitri. 

“Fantastic,” Sitri answers, “Once she started talking, she’s just been absolutely adorable with every word she learns.” 

“Has she learned ‘grammy’ yet?” Rhea asks. 

“Not yet, still working on her ‘R’s’.”

“In time, I guess,” Rhea replies as she hands Sothis back, “I’d suggest getting to your seat. The sermon will begin soon.” 

Sitri just nods at her mother and walks out of the room, Rhea sighing peacefully as they leave. ‘Almost a millennium of work is finally paying off. I just hope Cichol doesn’t take it the wrong way.’ 

Rhea closes her eyes as a soft piano starts playing, the choir humming softly as the congregation stands to their feet. ‘For now, focus on what’s important, and give the people the hope they deserve.’ 

~~~

The sermon is performed with little issue, functioning organ or not. Once Rhea concluded the sermon, she offered to perform blessings of good health to the infants and toddlers in the congregation, a few of the older children hesitant to approach the archbishop. But as one child after another received the blessing, the older children started to approach her. In the end, Sothis was the last to receive the blessing, giggling a little merrily as the magic of the blessing tickled her skin. Once complete, she tried to reach up for her grandmother, but Sitri told her to be patient as Rhea dismissed the worshippers with a final prayer. 

“And in thy Holy Name, Amen,” Rhea finishes, the congregation repeating her final words before they start to file out of the monastery. Rhea steps down from her podium, and happily accepts Sothis in her arms once she’s stepped off to the side. 

“Well, the bellows have a hole in them and they found rust on some of the pipes,” Aelfric says with a despondent sigh, “We won’t be able to play it for a while.” 

“Just as well,” Rhea whispers tiredly, “Is the piano in good condition to continue playing for a while?” 

“We’ve checked the strings and they seem to be in good shape, but the pianist said that it will need to be tuned very soon.”

“I’ll leave that to you, then,” Rhea says, “Just make sure they can get it done by next week.” 

“Of course,” Aelfric says before turning to the family, “Hello everyone.”

“Hello, Aelfric,” Jeralt says as the twins run over to the man and embrace him. 

“I guess the organ is causing trouble again?” Alois asks. 

“Major repairs needed, I’m afraid,” Aelfric answers as he ruffles the hair of the twins, “But we shouldn’t worry about that today. It is someone’s first birthday, after all.” 

“Yes indeed,” Rhea says while returning Sothis to Sitri, “I just need to finish a few things here and I’ll be able to join you.” 

“Of course, mother,” Sitri replies before turning to the twins, “Come along, you two.” 

~~~

Sothis crawled as fast as her legs could carry her across the garden, running down her two siblings as they ran away in mock fear.

“Ahh,” Byleth cried playfully, “The dragon is chasing us!” 

“Run this way!” Alexi responds as he runs right, though Byleth runs the other way. “Wait, where are you going?” 

Sothis quickly decides to chase her distracted brother, and veers right to go after him. ‘I’ve got you now, bubba.’

Suddenly, Byleth creeps up behind Sothis and hugs her tightly, drawing a squeal of surprise from the child. ‘Noooooooo! I’ve been captured!’

“Got you, Sothis,” Byleth says teasingly as Sothis struggles to break free. 

“Byleth, Alexi, Sothis!” Their father calls out, “Come here.”

“Yes, dad!” Alexi calls back as Byleth releases Sothis, the three brushing themselves and each other off before walking (or crawl) over to their father. 

“At least you didn’t get too dirty,” Jeralt says as he picks up Sothis, “Your mother would have a fit if you had to change.”

“Is it time?” Byleth asks excitedly, to which Jeralt nods in confirmation. 

“Yes, you two run ahead,” he says, “I need to keep this one distracted for a little bit.”

And so the twins run off, leaving Sothis with their father as the young child looks at him expectantly. “Dada?” Sothis asks as she points at her running siblings. 

“They need to help your mother,” he explains, “Besides, we have to meet someone.”

Sothis tilts her head as Jeralt starts waking to the gate, greeting his knights and the servants as they walk by. Once they arrive, they find the market empty save for a single red-haired merchant. ‘Oh, it’s Anna,’ Sothis thinks excitedly, pointing her fingers as she jumps in her father’s arms. 

“Calm down,” Jeralt says with a chuckle, “Yes, we are going to see the merchant.”

“Well, if it isn’t the Captain and his daughter,” Anna greets amicably, “Has the little one been enjoying today?”

“I think so,” Jeralt says while adjusting his grip on Sothis, “Do you have it?”

“Indeed I do,” Anna confirms as she pulls out a small wrapped package, “Took me almost a week to track it down, and three days more to haggle a half-decent price.”

“This should be enough for the trouble,” Jeralt says as he hands over a rather heavy coin purse.

Anna’s eyes sparkle as the purse lands in her hand, saying, “Of course, Captain. If you need anything else, you know who to call.”

“Again, thank you,” Jeralt replies, “Do take care.”

“Ahhahh,” Sothis says as she waves at the merchant, Anna doing the same before leaving through the gate. 

“Alright, let’s see what your mother has been up to,” Jeralt says as he tucks the package into his belt pocket. They walk through the entrance and reception halls and ascend the stairs to the second story of the main building. Once they reach the floor, Jeralt turns and approaches Rhea’s audience chamber, the guards opening the door to allow him to enter. Inside, he and Sothis find Sitri, the twins, Rhea, Alois, Abigail, Aelfric, Hanneman, and a few of Sitri’s friends with their children, all standing around a large table with various small foods scattered throughout while a small pile of wrapped gifts sits at the far end. 

“Happy Birthday, Sothis!” Everyone exclaims at once, catching the young girl off guard but not completely scarring her. 

‘So  _ that’s  _ what everyone’s been up to,’ Sothis thinks to herself, pointing at everything as she looks at her father with a large grin. 

“Yes, this is for you,” Jeralt says as he approaches the table, Sitri the first to greet them as she takes Sothis in her arms. 

“Happy Birthday, my little Goddess,” she whispers to Sothis before embracing her, eliciting a round of ‘d’aws' from her friends while the twins run over to offer their own ‘happy birthday’ wishes. 

“Well,” Hanneman says as he leans to Aelfric, “This should be a fun party indeed.” 

~~~

_ One hour later… _

Sothis couldn’t have had more fun if she tried. She and the other kids her age all chased the twins relentlessly while the adults made small talk as they watched them. Then, about thirty minutes later, Sothis found herself sitting at the head of the table as everyone sang ‘happy birthday’ to her, a small cake being placed in front of her. The cake was only one tier and no bigger than the dish it was served on, but had a skillfully designed Crest of Flames imprinted on the top with green icing on a blue buttercream background. Sothis made three attempts to blow out the single candle on top, and after it went out (thanks, dada), she joyfully turned the work of art into an absolute mess, the adults for some reason not minding. Then Sothis discovered that this cake was hers alone as a separate, larger but less decorated cake was brought out for the other children and adults to enjoy. Once Sothis had her fill and couldn’t eat anymore, her mother pulled her from the seat and took her upstairs to her grandmother’s room to get cleaned and changed. Once made presentable again, she was brought down once again, her seat clear of any remnants from the cakey massacre with the presents having been shifted forward a little bit closer. 

“Ok, Sothis,” Sitri says as she puts Sothis in the chair, “Time for presents.” 

“Ooooooo,” Sothis says out loud as she thinks, ‘This is going to be great!’ 

“Which one’s first?” Jeralt asks as he points to the pile, the other guests gathering around. 

Sothis leans forward and points to the largest sack, which Jeralt gingerly picks up and hands over to his daughter. She quickly goes for the bow and pulls to loosen it. Once it opens, a few plush animals, a lion, an eagle, and a deer, fall out. Although she already had an eagle, this one appeared to have two heads as opposed to one. In fact, it seemed awfully familiar. 

“Oh, she opened mother’s first,” Sitri says, and it suddenly made sense to Sothis. 

‘Oh yeah, she always gives me stuffed animals,’ Sothis says, ‘I wonder what makes these so special though.’ 

“I see,” one of Sitri’s friends says, “It’s the emblems for each of the academy’s houses.” 

“Yes indeed,” Rhea says with a nod, “I figured I would give her something that could prove to be educational in the coming years. These plushes aren’t the only things in the bag.” 

‘There’s more?’ Sothis asks silently as she looks back in the bag, and sees what appears to be cards inside. Sitri reaches in and pulls one out, the word ‘Adrestia’ written in bold on it. 

“Did you make these yourself?” Sitri asks Rhea. 

“With some help from Tomas, of course,” Rhea replies, “I had to make sure they were easy to read and simple enough that she could understand them.” 

‘Oh, I understand it perfectly,’ Sothis tells herself as Sitri puts everything back in the sack. Sothis then points to the next gift, and the cycle repeats until all the gifts have been opened, including a small toy ball, a plush play sword, a few new dresses that seemed a little bit big, and a pair of earrings from Aelfric among other things. 

“Hmm, something is missing,” Jeralt says once the last gift is opened, “Where could it be.” 

Sothis just points at her father’s belt and says, ‘It’s in your pocket!’ and it comes out as, ‘Pock! Pock!’ 

“My pocket?” Jeralt asks as he opens it, only to slap his head and says, “Oh, of course. You were with me when we picked it up.” 

This draws a few laughs from everyone gathered while Sitri just rolls her eyes at her husband. Jeralt gently places the package in front of Sothis, and she eagerly takes it in her hands. While she would’ve torn the parchment open without a second thought, she felt that she needed to be gentle with it, and thus pulled the paper carefully off. After a few tense minutes, Sothis sees a chain of silver start to fall from a hole she made. She holds the chain and pulls it, revealing an emerald set in a silver pendant, the light in the room glistening off the gem. 

“Oh, wow,” Hanneman says, “That must’ve taken quite some time to get a hold of.” 

“But it’s worth it,” Jeralt says as he holds his hand out to Sothis. She places the necklace in his hand, and he carefully unhooks the chain and wraps it around her neck, clipping it in place. “This pendant will help keep you safe. It will ward off any danger that can come to you, and as long as you wear it, we will always be there for you,” Jeralt tells Sothis, the young child just reaching out to her father as he picks her up and embraces her. 

~~~

_ That night… _

Sothis finds herself in a now-familiar cloudy plain, the sky a mild blue. ‘Perfect, I can find my friends tonight.’ She calmly crawls in a random direction, eventually spotting a few figures on the horizon. She picks up her pace and finds Dimitri, Khalid, and Edelgard sitting in a circle waiting for her. 

“Sothy!” Dimitri says as he embraces the birthday girl, Khalid and Edelgard also crawling over to join the group hug. 

‘Yes, I’m here,’ Sothis says once they separate, ‘So, what are we doing tonight.’ 

‘First,’ Edelgard says before coughing gently, saying aloud, “Happ bitday!”

‘Yeah,’ Khalid also clears his throat as he says, “Eyd mawlid saeid!”

‘What?’ Sothis asks. 

Khalid just rolls his eyes and says, ‘Happy Birthday.’ 

‘Oh, right,’ Sothis remembers, ‘You’re not from Fodlan, that’s your native language then.’ 

And lastly, Dimitri holds both of his arms up as he says, “Happy Birthday, Sothy!” 

‘Thank you, all of you,’ Sothis says appreciatively, ‘It really means a lot coming from all of you.’ 

Her friends all nod at her before Edelgard asks, ‘Pirates?’ 

Khalid seemingly nods in agreement and says, ‘Sea monster!’ as he raises his arms above his head. 

‘Ship!’ Dimitri says last, grinning broadly as they all look at Sothis expectantly. 

‘You got it!’ Sothis says as the clouds around them shift, ‘One pirate adventure on the mighty ship, Bismarck, against the dreaded Kraken coming right up!’ 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If it is anyone's birthday today, Happy Birthday. Next time, we are going to have a small time skip to the next phase of Sothis's life, so I hope everyone is ready. Until then, this is farewell.


	6. The New Arrivals

Sothis looked dead ahead of her ship, the FRN (Fodlan Royal Navy) Bismarck, as she and her mighty crew, First Mate Edelgard, lookout Khalid, and second mate Dimitri, braved the devastating storm before them. 

“Captain!” Khalid shouts from the crow's nest above, “I see the Kraken!” 

“To arms!” Sothis shouts, “We’ll defeat it this time!” 

“Yes ma’am!” Her crew shouts, Khalid sliding down the mast and grabbing his trusty bow as Edelgard and Dimitri grab an ax and lance, respectively. They all assume battle positions as a large tentacle emerges from the water far in front of them. 

“Finally,” Sothis says with a sinister grin, “We’ve got you now!” 

However, before Sothis can steer the ship in the direction of the Kraken, she notices a slight haze on the horizon, and the Kraken starts to fade away. 

“Aw, man,” Dimitri groans, “We have to wake up now.” 

“A shame,” Sothis shrugs as she allows the dream to fall apart, returning to the ethereal clubhouse they had built together in this dream space. It was very plain inside, with only four chairs and a table sitting in the middle. “I guess we’ll have to end it here.” 

“Yeah,” Edelgard sighs before saying, “I’ll see you all tomorrow.” 

As they all exchange farewells, the dream fades to black as Sothis opens her eyes to the real world. She starts sitting up in her bed as she looks around. Since she’s five years old now, she doesn’t need a crib anymore, and her toy box and dresser have been replaced by bigger ones. Her floor is covered by a very soft green rug that matched her lengthy hair. As she stretches herself awake, she hears her older siblings walking down the hallway. ‘Oh, they’re already awake for today, perfect.’ Sothis thinks to herself. 

And what a day she had to look forward to. They were expecting the arrival of not only Rhea’s new advisor but also a visit from the recently elected royal mage for the Holy Kingdom, Cornelia. She especially looked forward to meeting the woman who saved Dimitri’s mother from the plague that had broken out a few years ago. As for the new advisor, Sothis had to wait on that. She wasn’t given a name for this person, so she figured that she would be the judge of them before they were allowed near her grandmother. 

She stands from her bed and quickly changes into a light green summer dress and exits the room. She walks down the short hallway and finds her family all getting ready for the day. Byleth and Alexi are strapping a few leather pads to themselves, preparing for a sparring match in the training arena. Her mother is currently sitting at the table with a troubled look on her face, reading a letter that she had received. 

“Jeralt,” Sitri says worriedly, “I think we may need to cancel your knight’s excursion for next week. House Ordelia is requesting help with negotiations before the Empire overtakes them.” 

“Really?” Jeralt asks as he picks up the letter himself, skimming over its contents before saying, “That is bad. I’ll confirm it with Rhea before we head out.” 

As he hurriedly leaves the house, Sothis walks over to her mother and asks, “Is the Empire being uppity again?” 

“With good reason this time, I’m afraid,” Sitri answers with a sigh, “Last year, House Ordelia was involved with an uprising conducted by House Hrym. The rebellion was defeated, but Ordelia sought aid from the church to protect them, which your overly generous father accepted without question. The Empire backed off, but House Ordelia is worried that the Empire might attempt another coup soon, and has requested that we attempt to negotiate peace terms with the Empire.” 

“Oh no,” Sothis whispers, “I hope they will be ok.” 

“They will, Sothis,” Sitri reassures her daughter before moving on, “I’ve been meaning to ask this. How have your magic lessons with Aelfric been going?” 

“Great!” Sothis exclaims, “I can cast a fireball now. Want to see?” 

“No, no, not in the house,” Sitri says in a panic, “Maybe you can show me in the training arena while your siblings spar each other.” 

“Ok,” Sothis says with a smile as Byleth and Alexi look over. 

“You’re coming to watch us?” Byleth asks. 

“Yes,” Sitri says as she stands, “Your father has told me just how intense the two of you have gotten, and I feel that, as your mother, I need to be there just in case one of you gets hurt.” 

“We don’t get that crazy,” Alexi says unconvincingly, causing Sothis to roll her eyes. 

‘I may be young, but even I know you two go too far,’ she thinks to herself as she pulls her shoes on. 

~~~

“Your mince-meat, By!” Alexi shouts as he swings his wooden lance at his sister. 

Unfortunately, it is met by the carved blade of a wooden ax as Byleth retaliates, saying, “I’ll turn you into modern art!” She parries the lance away and brings her ax above her head, ready to strike her brother down. Unfortunately, he was the swifter of the pair and brought the pole of his lance back just in time to block the ax. 

As the pair threw increasingly creative, though not vulgar, insults at each other while their weapons clashed between them, Sitri just sat wide-eyed off to the side, shocked by her own children's ferocity in battle. Sothis wasn’t much help, either. 

“If you two don’t do something cool, I’ll throw a fireball at you!” Sothis shouts at the sparring pair, her mother sighing with defeat. 

“I give up,” she whispers, “I’m raising a trio of demons.” She looks up at the last second and watches as Byleth and Alexi both mess up an attempted parry and strike each other simultaneously, sending each other to the ground. Sothis groans loudly at this display.

“At this rate, neither of you will win,” Sothis says to her siblings, “When will you two learn to read each other?” 

“I think that’s the problem, dear,” Sitri says as she stands to check on her twins, “They read each other too well.” She kneels between them and casts a minor healing spell, allowing the pair to sit up with no issues. 

“Um… same time tomorrow, sis?” Alexi asks. 

“Yeah, sounds good,” Byleth replies, helping her brother up and returning their weapons to the rack. 

“Is this why you never seem to fight at home anymore?” Sitri asks. 

“Would you rather we destroyed the living room?” Byleth asks sarcastically, causing her mother to crook her eyebrow. 

“I would rather you not,” Sitri says while crossing her arms, “And I’d also rather you not use that tone with me, young lady.” 

“I’m sorry,” Byelth apologizes as she backs away. 

“Actually,” Alexi says while stepping forward, “Didn’t Sothis say something about casting fire spells now?” 

“Yes!” Sothis exclaims while running over to the archery range, “Come on, let me show you!” 

“Ok, just be patient,” Sitri says as she and the twins walk over to the archery lane where Sothis is at. “Now, show us what you’ve learned.” 

“Just give me one second,” Sothis says as she closes her eyes, allowing her mana to build within her. She can feel it course through her body, searching for an escape. Before, that escape would be a mana burst, but, thanks to her Godfather, she found a new way to properly harness this power. She lifts her hand and extends it out, aiming at the target downrange. She focuses her mana to her hand and pictures a small fireball forming in her palm. Moments later, an actual, emerald green flame sparks to life in her hand, steadily growing until it’s larger than her fingers. Once she’s satisfied, she forces a burst of mana to her palm, and fires the ball at the target, striking the upper right side. 

“Oh my goodness,” Sitri says as she looks at the small smoldering mark, “You really did learn how to use fire magic.” 

“Well, we all do have the Crest of Flames, mother,” Alexi says smugly, “Maybe she just has a natural talent for it.” 

“Time will tell, Alexi,” Sitri says as she picks up Sothis to embrace her overly talented mage to be, “I think we should get a few treats from the kitchen. What do you say?” 

“I hope the strawberry pastries are ready!” Byleth exclaims. 

“I want something with chocolate,” Alexi adds. 

“Candy!” Sothis just says simply as the family leaves the training arena. 

~~~

Byleth, Sothis, and Alexi all sat on a bench, nibbling on their treat of choice as they watched the construction workers build the new student dormitories in front of them. The project is almost halfway finished, the first floor only just getting its interior built while the second floor was still nothing but framing and scaffolding. 

As they watch, their mother is talking to one of the priests of the Church, discussing a worrying development. 

“Will they be accommodated appropriately?” Sitri asks. 

“They will for the time being,” the priest replied, “Though the mother has been very… out of sorts when they arrived, and she has been hesitant to share why.” 

“In that case, once my husband has returned from House Ordelia’s territory, I’ll pay a visit to your chapel and see if we can’t help miss Martritz.” 

“We will prepare for your arrival then,” the priest says with a nod, turning to leave the monastery. Sitri heaves a heavy sigh before returning to her children's side, sitting on the bench as well.

“Did something else happen?” Byleth asks while looking at her mother. 

“Yes, but nothing too serious,” Sitri answers, “A mother and her daughter have sought sanctuary within one of the chapels just northeast of here, but the mother hasn’t said much of anything when she arrived. I plan on going, and I will be taking Sothis with me while the two of you continue your training and schooling.” 

“Aw,” Alexi groans, “You always take her with you.” 

“That is not true and you know it,” Sitri scolds Alexi, “Besides, The two of you are more than capable of fending for yourselves if need be while Sothis can barely throw a fireball.” Alexi just slumps in defeat, returning his attention to the dormitories being built.

~~~

A hooded man walks through the monastery gate, his hidden gaze scanning the various merchant stalls and their wares. If anyone could see his face, they would see a look of mild amazement. While he would’ve stopped and gawked some more at the items being sold, he just shook his head and refocused on why he came here. There was just one problem; he had no idea where he was going. 

“I should’ve asked her for a map of this place,” he grumbles quietly as he wanders towards what seemed to be a fishing pond. Several servants, likely off duty, were sitting on a small pier that jutted out into the water, their fishing lines cast in all directions. On the other side, he saw a small greenhouse tucked away in the corner. Further to the right, he saw something under construction, possibly a living space of some kind. 

He walks past the fishing pond and follows the paved path next to the under-construction building, approaching a set of stairs. Before he reaches them, he briefly glances right and spots a young family sitting on a bench. The obvious mother is scolding her son while the two daughters just watch with mild embarrassment written on their faces. Once the boy slumps in defeat, the older daughter returns her attention to the construction while the younger daughter locks eyes with the man. 

Why her attention was centered on him, he didn’t know, but something was awfully familiar about the young girl. 

‘Could this be the child she talked about?’ he asks himself, now curious. Needing answers, he decides to approach the family and ask a few questions. 

“Excuse me,” he asks calmly, drawing the mother’s attention. 

“Yes?” she asks while standing, “Do you need something?” 

“Yes, actually,” the man replies with a nod, “I’m looking for the archbishop. I would find her myself, but I’m unfamiliar with the monastery’s grounds.” 

“Oh, it won’t be a problem at all,” the woman replies while holding out her hand, “I’m Sitri, one of the bishops who serve here. And these three are my children; Byleth, Sothis, and Alexi.” She points to each of her children in order, starting with the older daughter and ending with the son, though the name of the younger daughter caught his attention immediately. 

“What was the youngest’s name again?” He asks. 

“I’m Sothis,” the young child answers, “And what’s your name?” 

“Um…” the man hesitates for a second before answering, “Seteth.” 

The young girl tilts her head, getting a very incredulous look as she asks, “Are you sure?” 

“Sothis!” Her mother exclaims, “You don’t ask people if they’re sure about their own name.” 

“Oops,” Sothis squeaks while covering her mouth, “I’m sorry, sir.” 

“Don’t worry,” Seteth quickly replies, “I-It’s not a problem. It’s just been a very long journey for me and I haven't spoken to anyone in a while.” 

“Ok then,” Sitri says, “Just follow us.” 

Seteth nods at Sitri as she pulls her children along, watching the youngest child as she continually throws glances at him as they walk. 

~~~

‘I don’t think ‘Seteth’ is his real name,’ Sothis tells her siblings silently as they walk up the stairs, ‘His aura was wrong.’ 

‘Maybe it’s an alibi,’ Byleth suggests, ‘He could have had a different name in the past but decided to change it after something happened.’ 

‘Like what?’ 

‘Like maybe he did something illegal and is running from it,’ Byleth says, causing Sothis to glare at her. 

‘Or,’ Alexi adds, ‘Maybe he and grandmother are old friends and he just gave a false name to keep it secret.’ 

‘Well, we’ll have to wait and see then,’ Sothis says, throwing one last wary glance at Seteth before focusing her attention on walking. They walk down the courtyard and turn left towards the classrooms, currently under renovation alongside the new dormitories being built. 

“I was under the impression that the monastery was also an officer’s academy,” Seteth says, “Why aren’t there any students?” 

“The academy is temporarily shut down to allow for the renovations you see here,” Sitri answers while pointing to the classrooms, “All three classrooms had been in a sorry state for a while now and, once the dormitories started taking shape, Lady Rhea authorized the reconstruction of the classrooms as well.” 

“I see,” Seteth replies as they enter a hallway, “It wouldn’t do the monastery any good to have an excess of students and nowhere to teach or house them.” 

They reach the stairs to the second floor and ascend them, and quickly approach Rhea’s audience chamber. The guards briefly glance at Seteth before Sitri says while gesturing towards him, “Seteth is here to see the Archbishop. Is she available?” 

“The Royal Mage of Faerghus, Cornelia, has just arrived actually,” one of the guards says, “High Priest Aelfric is also inside with her. We can allow you in, but don’t be surprised if Lady Rhea is preoccupied.” 

“It won’t be an issue,” Sitri says as the guards reach for the door, “We were expecting both her and Seteth today.” 

The guards pull the doors open, and the five enter the room quietly to not disrupt the conversion taking place. 

“Are you sure you don’t need to see our resident physician?” Rhea asks with concern, “The assailant you faced while coming here could’ve left lasting damage with a cursed weapon like that.” 

“It shouldn’t be necessary,” the peach hair woman, apparently Cornelia, answers, “I wasn’t struck by the weapon after all, though if Aelfric hadn’t arrived when he did, I’m certain I would’ve been in dire straits.” 

“Were you able to capture this assailant?” Rhea asks Aelfric. 

“Unfortunately, no,” he answers, “Once Cornelia and I had the woman cornered, she teleported away with some kind of pillar of fire. Neither of us were able to get a good look at her before she was gone.” 

Rhea hums quietly at this, closing her eyes as Sothis noticed her normally peaceful aura turn dark. ‘That’s not good.’ 

‘What isn’t good?’ Byleth asks. 

‘Grandmother did not like the news she was given,’ Sothis explains, ‘She’s  _ very  _ angry.’ 

Thankfully, Rhea’s aura brightened up again as she says, “I’d like to ask that you stay for a little while longer than planned, mostly to keep you out of harm’s way should this assassin make another attempt.” 

“I would be most grateful,” Cornelia replies with a small bow, “It would do the kingdom no good if I were to be killed.” 

“It certainly wouldn’t,” Aelfric says in turn, and Sothis picks up on something interesting. Her Godfather’s aura, any time he looked at Cornelia, seemed to glow ever so slightly brighter. Moreover, any time her Godfather spoke to Rhea, Cornelia’s aura seemed to glow slightly brighter as well. 

‘If I didn’t know better,’ Sothis says to no one specifically, ‘I think Godfather and the Royal Mage have a crush on each other.’ 

‘Really?’ Alexi asks, ‘Your only five. How can you tell?’ 

‘I can read people’s auras, remember?’ Sothis asks back, Alexi nodding once he realizes what he forgot. 

‘Right,’ he says. ‘And what changed that told you.’ 

‘It’s small, like their spirits glowing a little brighter,’ Sothis says, ‘It’s the little things that draw them to each other. Maybe if they spend more time together, it could grow brighter.’ 

‘Time will tell,’ Byleth says as she stands straighter, ‘I think grandmother finally saw us.’ 

“Ah,” Rhea says as she gestures for them to come forth, “I almost forgot you would arrive today, Seteth.” 

“I didn’t want to intrude,” Seteth replies, “It seemed to be a matter of particular import.” 

“While I won’t deny an attempt on my or anyone else's life is unimportant,” Cornelia says before gesturing to the children present, “I doubt these young ones would want to hear about it.” 

Seteth nods at Cornelia in agreement before Aelfric draws his attention, “You must be the new advisor Lady Rhea was talking about?” 

“Indeed,” Seteth replies while shaking Aelfric’s hand, “I assume you already know my name then?” 

“Of course,” Aelfric replies with a smile, “Rhea informed me. I am High Priest Aelfric Dahlman, I’m currently overseeing much of the construction work around the monastery.” 

“Quite the workload you have,” Seteth observes, “It must be difficult to keep up with it all.” 

“It’s not terrible,” Aelfric replies before gesturing to the three children present, “But I also have the blessing of being the Godfather of the kids here as well as instructing the youngest in faith and reason.” 

“Really now?” Seteth asks while looking down at Sothis, “What are you able to do so far?” 

“I can cast a fireball,” Sothis says proudly, “Still working on aiming it though.” 

“A fireball?” Cornelia asks, “How old are you again?” 

“Five,” Sothis answers, holding up an outstretched palm while drawing an impressed nod from the older mage. 

“Most mages would still be learning how to manifest their magic at your age,” Cornelia says, “You must be gifted if you can cast a spell like that so soon.” 

“She was actually prone to having mana bursts at a very young age as well,” Sitri says, “I knew early on that she would excel in almost any school of magic.” 

“Except dark magic,” Aelfric adds, “I’ve tested her in rudimentary faith and reason and the only thing she struggled with was dark magic. Any time she attempted to cast something, it would backfire on her. I say, if she were to pick up a sword or another weapon, she would make an excellent paladin someday.” 

“Don’t go deciding her future for her, Aelfric,” Rhea says as she stands from her throne, “After all, she is still very young, so anything can happen that could change her desired path in life.” 

“Perhaps,” Sitri says with a shrug before looking down at her kids, “I think we’d best head on home for now.” 

“Ok, mom,” the trio says, running over to Rhea to embrace her immediately after. 

Once they separate and start walking away, Aelfric walks over to Cornelia and asks, “Would you like me to show you to your room?” 

“Please do,” Cornelia replies, following Aelfric out of the audience chamber, leaving Seteth and Rhea alone. 

“You wouldn’t happen to have somewhere where we can talk alone?” Seteth asks, to which Rhea simply nods silently before walking over to the doors that lead to her room. They ascend the stairs and enter her personal chambers, Seteth closing and locking the doors behind him. 

“I can only assume that Cethleann is still recovering?” Rhea asks quietly as she removes her headdress, craning her neck to relieve the strain it put on her. 

“It will be a few more years,” Seteth answers, “And before we continue, she stated that her alibi will be ‘Flayn’ if she is mentioned in conversion. As far as anyone is aware, should she choose to come to the monastery, she is my sister, not my daughter.” 

“I can ensure that,” Rhea replies before turning to face him, “How was the journey?” 

“Long,” Seteth says with a forlorn look in his eye, “I… visited the Rhodos Coast before coming here.” 

Rhea sighs at this and says, “You know there is nothing that can bring her back. Believe me, we’ve tried. For almost a millennium I’ve strived to bring mother back, and the closest I’ve come is the child you met walking in.” 

Seteth huffs a sigh of his own before saying, “And all she bears is her crest and her penchant for magic. If it truly is her soul, then she was reborn before returning to the living realm.” 

“And unfortunately, I fear that our old enemies are reemerging,” Rhea says with a low voice, “You heard the end of my conversation with Cornelia. If the Agarthans have indeed returned, the fate of Fodlan could very well hang in the balance.” 

“But can we place our faith in a child?” Seteth asks, “Can we truly believe that Sothis is the answer?” 

“Perhaps not yet,” Rhea answers, “She is still very young and has much to learn of this world. I do fear, however, that her trials may come sooner than any of us want. Even Sitri knows that her daughter will someday bear the weight of Fodlan.” Rhea walks over to the window, watching as Sothis, Byleth, and Alexi chase each other in the courtyard below as Sitri follows behind them. “My only hope now is that she can find a way to bring the people together, and lead them to the future they deserve.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Expect many canon divergences from here onward. And to note: Since it is never specified if Cornelia was assassinated and replaced or was always an agent of TWSITD in the game, I've decided to go the attempted assassination route for this story while in the other story (Fodlan's Fate) has the 'always has been' route (Memes, love 'em). 
> 
> Also, I may very well start updating this story every Monday from now on alongside Fodlan's Fate; that way, if for one reason or another one of the stories doesn't have a chapter ready by then, there should always be something ready for the other story. 
> 
> Anyway, hope to see everyone next week!


	7. The Refugee

_ My dearest Sitri… _

_ The situation here in the County of Ordelia is dire. The Empire, specifically Duke Ludvig von Aegir, had already begun their advance into the county when we arrived, and initially wouldn’t accept any form of parley. It wasn’t until I specifically requested parley did they stop their advance. The Duke was furious that the Church had intervened again, and made it clear that no amount of negotiation on my part could change what was to come. Once I realized this, I did everything I could to delay them.  _

_ Honestly, I wish I had Alois here. He has always proven to be more charismatic than me and was the one who managed to turn away the Empire in the initial raid. That said though, he and Abigail deserve their honeymoon together, and I wouldn’t dare interrupt. Thankfully, my stalling bought the knights and House Ordelia enough time to evacuate a few people from the county. I even managed to convince the Duke to allow myself and the knights the night to evacuate ourselves from the county to avoid an incident involving the greater Church.  _

_ Even then, after much discussion with the family, only nine members are being evacuated, the oldest being fifteen, the youngest being three. All the parents and the patriarch of the family agreed that the children had to come first, only the children over twelve electing to stay by their family’s side. The fifteen-year-old is only coming at the request of his parents, something he only reluctantly agreed to. As for the three-year-old… _

_ Her name is Lysithea. Her mother and father both asked that I take care of her until it was safe for her return, but I could tell from the look in their eyes that they feared they would never see her again. It damn near broke me when they said their final goodbyes as we rode away.  _

_ I doubt the Empire will be honest about what will happen to the remainder of the family, and their fate will likely reach you before it reaches me. Part of me regrets even getting involved with this mess to begin with, but the wiser part of me knows that I wouldn’t be me if I turned a blind eye to them.  _

_ Do expect our arrival in a few days. _

_ With all the love in the world, _

_ Jeralt _

~~~

Sitri paced silently in front of the gates, her eyes never leaving the road as she chewed on her thumbnail anxiously. Off to the side, Byleth and Alexi with Sothis between them watch their mother with concern. 

‘How long has she been like this?’ Byleth asks Sothis. 

‘Her aura hasn’t changed since she got the letter from dad,’ Sothis answers, ‘He must be coming home soon, but something mustn't be good if she’s this nervous.’ 

They look back down the road as a small dust cloud starts rising over the horizon. Sitri stops in her tracks and stares as a knight on horseback comes rushing to the gate, the horse visibly exhausted. 

“Are they almost here?” Sitri asks immediately as the knight dismounts. 

“Don’t worry, ma’am,” the knight says reassuringly, “The remaining knights and the refugees will be here in the next thirty minutes. For now, we need to get ready for their arrival. Is the archbishop available?” 

“She’s just inside getting the tents set up with the servants,” Sitri explains, “Once we heard of what was happening, she insisted on lending a hand herself.” 

“That’s actually quite helpful, and surprising” the knight observes, “It’s not often a situation is severe enough that the Archbishop needs to directly lend a hand.” 

“Ever since my children were born, she started getting a soft spot for children in need, and I started getting that way myself,” Sitri says as she starts to get a distant look in her eye, “But the circumstances the Ordelia children have had to face, and the challenges that lie ahead of them…” 

“Ma’am,” the knight places his hand on her shoulder, drawing her attention back to him, “I understand completely. For now, I say we take care of them the best we can and hopefully have them returned to their family before long.” 

“I can only pray that they will have a family to go home to once this is over,” Sitri whispers as the knight walks over to the gate to help prepare for the remaining knights’ arrival. 

Sothis notices her mother’s growing distress, and quickly runs over to her and embraces her leg. Sitri looks down at her daughter and picks her up, holding her tightly as a few tears roll down her cheeks. Byleth and Alexi quickly follow and also embrace their mother. 

About thirty minutes later, the convoy arrives, the refugees easily distinguishable with the girls having soft pick hair and the boys having off-blue hair, a trait almost exclusive to the Ordelia family and certain members of House Goneril. As they approach, many servants file out to help the despondent refugees as they are taken inside, and Rhea steps out and finds her daughter and grandchildren standing off to the side. 

“Have you seen your husband yet?” Rhea asks, “I need to talk to him.” 

“I see him!” Alexi shouts as he points to the back of the convoy. Jeralt is still sitting on his horse, guiding it carefully through the crowd as he approaches his family. As he draws closer, they all notice a young girl riding with him, clinging tightly to the horse's mane and looking at the family with mild fear and curiosity. Once Jeralt brings the horse to a stop, he dismounts it carefully to avoid knocking the child off, but he doesn’t attempt to take her off just yet. 

Once he’s dismounted, Sitri runs over to him and pulls him close, crying softly into his shoulder as he holds her with one arm as the other keeps the child in place on the horse. 

“It’s ok,” Jeralt whispers to his wife quietly, “We did what we could.” 

“B-but was it enough?” Sitri asks through her tears, “Could we have done more?” 

Rhea wisely decides not to add anything, and just stands by her grandchildren while watching the depressing scene in front of her. Once Sitri calms down, she looks up at the young girl on the horse. Her eyes are bright pink, her hair a soft shade of the same color. While she certainly is scared, Sitri could see a certain inquisitive look in her eye as she scans the strangers in front of her. Sitri offers the best smile she can manage and brushes the girl's hair, asking softly, “What’s your name, sweetheart?” 

“L-Lysithea…” the girl whispers pitifully, her grip on the horse's mane tightening as she asks, “Where are we?” 

“This is Garreg Mach,” Sitri answers while pointing at the gates, “It’s a monastery.” 

"Mon-a-ster-y," Lysithea says phonetically, looking up at the gates and the large structure beyond, “It’s big.” 

“I know it is,” Sitri replies, her motherly instincts already kicking in, “Maybe you would like to look around? I can even let you and my kids play together if you’d like?” 

“Ok,” Lysithea replies, her spirits now lifted as Sitri helps her to the ground, her small feet planting firmly as she looks over at Byleth, Alexi, and Sothis. 

“Hello,” Sothis begins after calmly approaching Lysithea, “I’m Sothis.” 

“I’m Byleth,” her older sister says in turn, immediately followed by Alexi. 

“I’m Lysithea,” the young girl replies, “It’s nice to meet you.” 

“You know, Sitri,” Rhea says, “I think I’ll keep an eye on the children, just to get them out of your hair for a little bit, but I will need to talk to you, Captain, once things have settled.” 

“Thank you, mother,” Sitri replies with a grateful nod, “That really does help.” 

With that, the four children run off into the monastery, Lysithea’s troubles briefly forgotten as she explores the monastery from wall to wall. 

~~~

“And this is the new building,” Sothis points to the under-construction dormitories while holding Lysithea’s hand, “It’s going to be where the students sleep.” 

“Ooooo,” Lysithea says as she looks up at the building with wonder in her eyes, “It's big.” 

“I know,” Sothis says in agreement, “I would take you into a room, but the workers get mad if we do.” 

“That’s because it is dangerous, dear,” Rhea says as they slowly walk up the stairs, “The workers just don’t want you to get hurt, is all.” 

“Maybe we can look into the rooms once it’s finished,” Byleth says with a grin as they see Aelfric and Cornelia approaching.

“Lady Rhea,” Aelfric calls out, “I just received correspondence from Houses Gloucester, Reigan, and Goneril.” 

“Please tell me it’s good,” Rhea asks quickly. 

“Thankfully it is,” Aelfric says with a nod, “All three are willing to house the Ordelia children until it is either safe for them to return to their home, or once they come of age. But, they all said they can only house up to two each. Most of the kingdom’s noble houses are still recovering from the Plague, but House Dominic has agreed to take in two children as well.” 

“Then that leaves only one,” Rhea replies with a sigh, “I’m… planning to talk to Jeralt about what he wants to do, but I’m not sure if Sitri will agree.” 

“She will,” Aelfric assures, “If I know her at all, she will have no issue with it.”

Rhea nods in reluctant agreement, and looks over at Cornelia, and asks, “Will you be able to help us with this?”

“I’ll check on their condition with Hanneman before either they or I have to leave,” Cornelia answers, “Also, I heard that Sitri is supposed to be heading to a chapel in the kingdom soon?”

“Yes, actually,” Rhea confirms, “Sitri is going there to check on a mother and daughter pair that sought sanctuary within the chapel. She wants to learn why they are there to begin with and to see if they can’t be helped.”

“In that case, I’ll ask her if I can accompany her there,” Cornelia says, “I… I don’t feel comfortable going home knowing that someone is hunting me.”

“I’ll have a letter sent to King Lambert letting him know your decision for you,” Rhea says before turning to Aelfric, “Will the Houses come to pick up the children, or will we have to send them ourselves?”

“Only House Goneril is unable to send anyone,” Aelfric confirms, “They’ve been negotiating with Almyra recently over a few disputed territories on the border and want all of their resources available should the negotiations fail.”

“It can be arranged then,” Rhea replies with a quiet sigh before looking at the children, all of whom were looking at the flower bed, naming the various species to Lysithea. “They’re so innocent, you know,” Rhea says as she watches them, “They don’t even know just how much this will impact Fodlan.” 

“Perhaps someday they will understand,” Cornelia says while resting her hand on Rhea’s shoulder, “But for now, let them live in their world.” 

“You’re right,” Rhea replies with a nod, “We shouldn’t destroy their innocence. I only pray that, when that day comes, they can face it with wise minds and strong hearts.” 

“And I pray that that day isn’t any time soon,” Aelfric adds as he smiles at the kids, “Let them find the world at their own pace.” 

~~~

Sitri and Jeralt look over the tents that had been erected to house the Ordelia Children, monitoring the servants and knights as they help make the children feel welcome and safe. 

“Are you certain that is what they asked?” Sitri asks her husband. 

“I’m positive,” Jeralt answers, “I wouldn’t have mentioned it in the letter if they hadn’t.” 

“But will we be able to take care of her?” Sitri asks, turning to face Jeralt, “You're a captain and I’m a bishop. We both have a lot of work that needs to be attended to besides our own children. I have to leave to visit a chapel in the kingdom and you might have to escort several of the other children to temporary homes if the noble houses volunteer to take them in.”

“Sitri,” Jeralt rests his hands on his wife's shoulders, “If we felt that our work was too much, we would’ve never had children in the first place. Not to mention, we still have Aelfric and Alois to help us if things become too much to handle.” 

“But they have lives too,” Sitri counters, “We can’t just throw our problems on their shoulders whenever we feel like it.” 

“I’m not saying we have to do it all the time,” Jeralt reassures his wife, “If I’m honest, I want to help her. When her parents said their last goodbyes to her, I pictured myself doing the same with Sothis and the twins, and I just couldn’t even bear the thought of it.” 

Sitri remains silent at this, refusing to meet Jeralt’s eyes as she tries to come up with another excuse. After a few minutes, she sighs in defeat and says, “We’d need to rearrange Sothis’s room a little bit, get another bed, a dresser.” 

“I can get that done when we get back from our trips,” Jeralt replies while cupping his wife's cheek and bringing her eyes up to meet his, “Let’s just worry about taking care of the others first, ok?” 

Sitri just smiles and kisses her husband tenderly before saying, “Ok, but you owe me a date once this is settled.” 

“It can be arranged,” Jeralt replies with a sly grin before they separate and walk over to the tents to offer their assistance. 

~~~

_ Later that day… _

“Sothis, Lysithea,” Rhea calls out in the gardens, “Come here for a second please.” 

The pair runs over to Rhea, Lysithea smiling brightly as she says, “This place is so cool!” 

“I know it is,” Sothis replies, “Maybe I can show you the training arena so we can watch my brother and sister spar.” 

“Spar?” Lysithea asks, a look of mild confusion on her face. 

“Well… it’s like fighting but not fighting… um…” Sothis tries to find the right words to explain it, but Rhea is quick with an answer. 

“What my granddaughter is trying to say is that sparing is when two warriors put their skills through a test of strength and coordination against each other,” she says. 

Lysithea’s eyes grow wide as she says, “Oooohhhh… what’s co-or-din… ae…. shun?” 

“I think we should leave it at that,” Rhea answers with an embarrassed smile, “I should’ve worded that better myself.” 

“Ok,” Lysithea says innocently, “You needed us?” 

“Yes, actually,” Rhea answers with a nod, “It’s getting late and I need to get Sothis back to her parents and I wanted you to follow us.” 

“O… k….” Lysithea says as she deflates, her eyes becoming forlorn, “What about Mom and Dad?” 

Rhea, upon realizing that she messed up, quickly says, “Oh, um… my apologies… I shouldn’t have… uh….” 

Thankfully, Sothis says, “They just needed you to stay safe here for a little bit. They’ll come back for you before long.” 

“O… ok,” Lysithea says with a weak smile, “Can I stay at your home then?” 

“That’s what we are going to find out,” Rhea answers, “It’s the reason we wanted you to follow us.” 

Sothis and Lysithea get an excited look in their eyes as Rhea leads them out of the garden and to the front gates where Byleth and Alexi are waiting. 

“Byleth, Alexi, where’s your parents?” Rhea asks. 

“They went home already,” Alexi answers, “They wanted to get the rooms and dinner ready.” 

“So they’re doing it?” Rhea asks in mild shock. 

“Uh-hu,” Byleth replies before skipping out of the gate, “Come on.” 

Rhea and the children all walk a short way from the gate to the family's cabin, smoke rising from the chimney while Jeralt stands by the door. “I was going to come back,” he says as Rhea approaches. 

“And leave your wife to tend to a fire by herself?” Rhea asks in a playfully accusatory tone, “Shame on you.” 

“Hey, I cut the wood, and she maintains the hearth, it’s the agreement all husbands make with their wives,” Jeralt counters with an equally playful tone. 

Rhea rolls her eyes before dropping to a more serious tone and asks, “Will you do it?” 

Jeralt nods and says, “It took a minute to convince Sitri, but we both agreed it would be in her best interest to stay with us for the time being.” 

“Who's staying?” Lysithea asks innocently, drawing a brief chuckle from Jeralt. 

“You are,” he replies while looking down at her. 

“I-I am?” Lysithea asks in shock befitting a three-year-old, again drawing a chuckle from Jeralt. 

“Yes,” he replies with a nod, “I… already talked to your parents about it and they agreed that, until it is safe, you should stay with my family for the time being.” 

“Oh… ok!” Lysithea exclaims happily while jumping in place, “If that’s what Mom and Dad wants, then I don’t mind.” 

Jeralt and Rhea both silently sigh with relief at the young girl’s enthusiasm as they allow the children to enter the house. Inside, Sitri is stirring a pot of soup while watching everyone enter, “Is she happy?” she asks. 

“For now,” Jeralt replies, “Just need to get a quilt from the closet and we should be good for tonight.” 

“Ooooo,” Lysithea looks up in wonder at the house as she asks, “So this is your home.” 

“Yep,” Sothis replies, “Want to see my room?” 

“Sure!” Lysithea replies, both preparing to run before Jeralt steps in front of the hallway. 

“Hold on there, I need to tell you two something,” Jeralt says, bringing the two girls to a halt. “Sothis, Lysithea will be sharing your room with you for the time being.” 

“She is?” Sothis asks, to which Jeralt mods in confirmation. Sothis squees in excitement as she says, “Yay, I have a roommate!”

“Now, before you get too excited, I need to set a few rules,” Jeralt begins before listing off curfew times, wake up times, and clean up and chore rules for the two children. Once he finishes and gets a promise of good behavior from the girls, he steps aside and allows them to run off into Sothis’s room to play. 

“She’s only a toddler, you know,” Sitri says, “You can’t expect her to follow those rules at that age.” 

“It’s more for Sothis,” Jeralt replies with a shrug, “You know how she gets when we have a new rule in place.” 

“It’s annoying,” Byleth says while crossing her arms and frowning, “She’s like one of the more stuck up guards.” 

“But she’s my little enforcer when I’m not around,” Sitri says while covering the soup pot with a lid, “Now, I need to let the two of you know what’s going on.” Byleth and Alexi stand in front of their mother as she begins, “In a few days, I’m taking your sister and Lysithea to see a chapel in the kingdom and your father has to take a couple of the other children to House Goneril near the border with Almyra. Until we come back, I’ll be leaving the two of you with Aelfric so you can continue your schooling and training.” 

“Ok, mom,” Alexi replies readily as Byleth nods along, “We’ll be good for him.” 

“You’d better,” Sitri says as she points at her twins, “Otherwise, Lysithea will be taking one of your rooms and the two of you will be sharing a tent outside.”

“Sitri,” Jeralt looks over at his wife with mild amusement, “You know that won’t work with them. They love camping.” 

“Don’t start, dear,” Sitri says with a sharp glare before taking a deep breath and saying gently to the twins, “Just don’t give your Godfather a hard time, ok?” 

“Yes, ma’am,” the twins say in unison before Sitri dismisses them. 

“Well, I think I’d best get going,” Rhea says from the door, “I have to prepare for the fallout that is bound to come from all of this. Goodnight.” 

“Goodnight, mother,” Sitri says as she and Jeralt wave at Rhea as she closes the door. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And thus, Lysithea's fate has been avoided. Now, about that chapel.


	8. The Runaways

Sothis and Lysithea chased each other around a carriage, not caring for the people around them who were loading several other carriages with chests and personal items of the Ordelia children. As for the children themselves, they had all split into pairs, and three pairs were speaking to their new caretakers before leaving. 

Nearby, Jeralt is speaking with a representative from House Goneril. 

“The negotiations are progressing smoothly,” the representative states, “But the family is still worried about them breaking down. They can still house the children, but have requested your assistance should it be necessary.” 

“I’ll see what I can do, but I make no promises,” Jeralt replies, “I still have a duty to the Church to fulfill, and my Knights and I have only just returned from the Ordelia territory. The last thing I need to do is overstrain them.” 

“I’m sure Lord Goneril will understand,” the representative replies with a nod before he turns his attention to the new wards the family will take in. As the representative walks away, Jeralt heaves a heavy sigh before walking over to his wife as she herds Sothis and Lysithea into the carriage. 

Sitri looks over at him and notices a deep furrow in his brow, saying, “You only ever get that look if the news is bad.” 

Jeralt looks down and says, “House Goneril has requested our assistance should their negotiations go south with Almyra. I might not get home before you.” 

Sitri curses under her breath before saying, “Just stay safe.” 

“I will,” Jeralt promises before kissing his wife, walking away to mount his horse as the first of the carriages start leaving. 

“Are we ready?” Jeralt calls back to a small squadron of knights who had volunteered to help, to which they all nod in confirmation before he starts leading them and the last carriage away from the monastery. 

Sitri watches as her husband leaves, silently praying that he can get home quickly. She suddenly feels someone’s hand rest on her shoulder, and she looks over to find Corneria offering a sympathetic smile to her. 

“Don’t worry,” she says, “I’m certain the captain will be just fine.” 

“I know he will,” Sitri replies with a nod, “But it still hurts the same any time he leaves.” Sitri straightens her blouse before turning to look at Aelfric by the gates, her twins standing on either side of him. “Will the two of you be good for your Godfather?” 

“Yes, ma’am,” the twins say in unison as Aelfric chuckles. 

“I’ll ensure the training arena is still standing by the time you return,” Aelfric says as they wave Sitri and Cornelia off as they board the carriage, the former letting the driver know to start moving. 

Inside the carriage, the four passengers brace themselves lightly as the carriage starts moving, Cornelia saying, “I’ve said this once, but thank you for allowing me to join you. I’m not sure if the assassin is still out there, so having someone with me should help my nerves.” 

“It’s not a problem at all,” Sitri replies, “I find riding a carriage is best done with a friend since riding alone can be too quiet for my taste.” 

The two women make small talk as Sothis and Lysithea stare out of the window, quickly pointing at anything that interested them, everything from a stray dog running down the street to a funny shepherd chasing a sheep that somehow jumped a fence. 

“Look at how he runs,” Sothis points out as the shepherd gets closer to the sheep, “It’s not the first time it happened.” 

“I think he got it,” Lysithea suddenly says, watching as the shepherd grabs the fluffy sheep and starts carrying it back to the fields. “It must be hard being a sheep-herd.” 

“It’s just shep-herd, dear,” Sitri corrects, “And yes, it is very hard indeed.” 

“Were you ever a shepherd?” Sothis asks. 

“Not necessarily,” Sitri replies with a slight tilt to her head, “But herding you and your siblings when you all started crawling is close to it.” 

“If you don’t mind me asking,” Cornelia begins, “I’m curious about Aelfric. What did he do to become your children’s Godfather?” 

“Well, before I met Jeralt, I met Aelfric,” Sitri begins, “He was an orphan when he arrived and he was practically raised by the Church. We became pretty close friends as a result. Despite what he shows now, I’m fairly certain he had fallen for me at one point.” 

“Then I guess Jeralt stepped in?” Cornelia asks. 

Sitri giggles lightly and says, “Sort of. I met Jeralt for the first time not long after I became a priestess and Aelfric became a priest. I won’t say it was love at first sight, but I felt drawn to him. After almost a year of constant courting, he finally asked for my hand. Believe it or not, though, I didn’t say yes immediately.” 

“I’m guessing you had feelings for Aelfric as well?” Cornelia theorizes. 

“I felt like I would’ve betrayed him more than anything,” Sitri answers truthfully, “He and I had been friends for years by that point, and I didn’t want it to suddenly end.” Sitri closed her eyes as a small smile graced her face, “But when I told Aelfric, he was actually happy for me. I’ve always known him as being honest with his emotions, and I knew right then that I had nothing to worry about. Jeralt and I got married about a month later. Aelfric even offered to officiate if my mother had not stepped in.” 

“I noticed that,” Cornelia says while leaning closer, “So Lady Rhea is your mother?” 

“Yes,” Sitri nods, “I never knew my father, something that mother deeply regrets, but she raised me herself and promised to always be there if I need her. I remember a few times when I was Sothis’s age when I would wake up from a nightmare and she would allow me to sleep with her for the night, even eschewing her normal morning duties until I was awake and feeling better.” 

“She certainly cares for you deeply,” Cornelia observes, “I’m guessing once your children were born, she also promised to be there for them as well?” 

“Similar promise, yes, but they’ve become incredibly independent over the years,” Sitri replies, “I doubt they’d need to depend on her for too much these days.” 

Cornelia nods and lowers her head as she says, “Independence is a good thing. I’ve seen too many parents in the kingdom not allow their kids to grow as individuals once we contained the Plague. I just hope they realize this before it’s too late.” 

“You and I both,” Sitri nods before allowing silence to reign over them for a little while, only ever interrupted by Sothis or Lysithea once they see something that piques their interest. 

~~~

About a day later, they arrive at the Chapel, the carriage slowing to a stop as Sitri notes the priest waiting outside. “We’re here,” Sitri says as she shakes Sothis and Lysithea awake, “Let’s get moving.” 

A servant of the Church opens the door, allowing Sitri and Cornelia to step out as they both help the children out after. 

“I sincerely appreciate you coming here, Bishop Sitri,” the priest says as he offers his hand. 

Sitri nods with a smile as she shakes his hand and says, “It isn’t a problem. The situation at the monastery has been resolved for the time being and allowed me to make this trip. I’ve also brought a friend along, Royal Mage Cornelia Arnim.” 

“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Cornelia greets with a respectful bow. 

“The pleasure’s all mine,” the priest replies as he leads the women into the chapel, “I never expected the Royal Mage herself to come to our chapel here on the border.” 

“It’s more for securities sake,” Cornelia says with a sigh, “A recent… event has left me feeling uneasy about traveling alone, and I figured that traveling with someone would help.” 

“I understand,” the priest says with a nod as he opens the doors. Inside, they find various servants and nuns maintaining the interior, some polishing the pews as others sweep and dust the floors and walls. Even a couple of deacons were adjusting the altar, ensuring it was level and properly balanced for the next service.

“I must say, this chapel is very well maintained,” Sitri observes as she looks around. 

“Being servants of the people and to the Goddess has ingrained in most of our congregation the necessity of maintaining our place of worship,” the priest explains, “If only the tavern regulars could show the same kind of devotion.” 

“That’s neither here nor there,” Sitri replies with a small smile before it drops to a serious expression, “Where’s the mother and daughter?” 

“One moment,” the priest replies before waving over one of the nuns. Once she arrives, he says, “This is Beatrice. She’s been housing the mother and daughter in her room.” 

“Hello, Bishop,” Beatrice says with a bow, “Just follow me, please.” 

~~~

Sothis looked up at the chapel as they walked down the aisle, amazed by the stained glass and golden chandeliers hung from the ceiling. 

“This place is beautiful,” Sothis says quietly. 

“Yeah,” Lysithea replies, “It’s pretty, too.” 

“I think that’s the same thing,” Sothis says as she looks over at the girl, “But I agree, it is pretty.” As the two children are lost in wonder, they feel their hands get tugged gently as they turn down one of the hallways to the nun’s quarters. As they walk, they see various nuns and deacons talking to each other, most pointing and smiling at the children as they walk past while others share whispered conversations about a mother and daughter who were housed here. 

Sothis perks up once she nears a room, one that her mother stops in front of. 

“Just one moment,” the nun named Beatrice asks before she quietly opens the door and steps inside, leaving it cracked just enough so Sothis can peak in. She doesn’t see anything remarkable except a small canvas bag that had a small cardigan sticking out of the top. She hears a few different voices inside the room, but can’t hear what they say. ‘Hmmm, maybe if I try this…’ Sothis tentatively reaches out with her mind and somehow connects with one of the voices. 

‘Why would a bishop want to speak with us?’ The mystery voice asks. Sothis doesn’t answer, shocked that she could hear one of the people’s thoughts. The voice was definitely female, maybe a little older than Byleth. 

Sothis cranes her neck to try and get a better look inside, but the door opens anyway revealing Beatrice as she says, “They’re ready for you.” 

“Cornelia, do you mind watching these two?” Sitri asks, “I think I should do this alone.” 

“Of course,” Cornelia replies with a smile as she gently takes Sothis’s and Lysithea’s hands. She turns to the priest and asks, “Do you know of anywhere they can play?” 

“Actually, we’ve just finished a youth room for children their age,” the Priest replies with a smile, “They should be plenty fine there.” 

‘But I want to talk to the people inside,’ Sothis says quietly in her head as Cornelia leads her and Lysithea away, completely unaware of the scare she just gave the girl in the room. 

~~~

Sitri takes a deep breath once her daughter, her ward, and Cornelia are out of sight. She cautiously opens the door and steps inside, finding two people. They were near-duplicates of each other, the same pure blond hair reaching just below their shoulders. Their faces were similar, the daughter’s chin ending in a more distinct point, and the way they sat was mirrored. Their eyes were the same as well, a powdery shade of blue. If Sitri had to guess, the daughter was probably only a year or two older than her twins, her height making it obvious though she saw no signs of puberty quite yet. However, Sitri’s concern built when she gauged their emotions. The mother had a very distant look in her eyes; as if she wasn’t present at all in this room and was somewhere else mentally. As for the daughter, she seemed to have been scared by something, her eyes showing mild distress though she tried to keep herself composed. 

Sitri sits in an unoccupied chair, coughing gently into her hand before saying, “I am Bishop Sitri Eisner of the Church of Seiros. May I get your names?” 

The mother suddenly comes back to reality, her eyes refocusing as she replies, “Um… my apologies. I am Penelope um… Martritz and this is my daughter, Mercedes von Martritz.” 

Mercedes shakes her head as if clearing a few thoughts on her mind before acknowledging Sitri, “Hello. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” 

“And the same with you as well,” Sitri replies with a smile before returning her attention to Penelope, “I was informed by the priest that you sought sanctuary here?” 

“Yes,” Penelope answers with a nod but doesn’t continue. 

“Are you able to explain why?” Sitri asks, leaning closer as Penelope gets a distant look again. 

“I… I left him…” Penelope whispers, shaking her head, “I left my baby… with that….” 

“Penelope,” Sitri takes her hand, snapping her attention back before asking, “Who did you leave?” 

“My son…” Penelope shakes her head again as she explains, “When Mercedes was born, her birth father passed away a few days after. I was devastated, and in desperation to keep a roof over our heads and to find someone to help raise my daughter, I got remarried to Baron Bartles.” 

“You had a son with him, then?” Sitri asks. 

“Yes,” Penelope answers, “His… his name is Emile. I was overjoyed at his birth, but the Baron…. After Emile was born, everything changed. That man was a monster. He treated me and my daughter as slaves to do his bidding. He never saw us as people. Little Emile… Goddess bless his heart. He never took his father’s side, always protecting me and Mercedes from him. A couple of weeks ago, I had had enough and took my daughter and myself away from that man. But… I had to leave Emile behind. If I had taken him… the Baron would’ve been out for my head.” 

Sitri remains calm for most of her explanation, but she’d be lying if her heart didn’t bleed for this woman. ‘To have to leave your child behind….’ She remembers back to when she received the letter from Jeralt detailing the situation in the County of Ordelia and just how hopeless it had become. Sitri pulls Penelope into an embrace, allowing the despondent mother to cry into her shoulder as Mercedes stands and also joins the embrace. 

“Don’t worry,” Sitri whispers, “Your son will be safe.” Sitri didn’t know why she said that, but something deep within her gut told her that this was true. Coupling this feeling was also a faint sense of dread; as if the consequences would be quite dire. 

Sitri pulls away once Penelope calms down, Mercedes taking her mother’s hand as she asks, “What will we do now?” 

Sitri ponders her question for a bit, weighing the options available to them. ‘I could send them with Cornelia to Fhirdiad, allowing them to get a fresh start under her guardianship, but I don’t want to weigh her down with another responsibility. That, and there is a possible assassin still after her. There is also sending them to the alliance, but the major nobles there have all taken in the Ordelia children as wards. Sending them there would do them no good. Maybe…” Sitri closes her eyes briefly and asks, “I would like to offer you a place at Garreg Mach Monastery.” 

“Really?” Penelope asks in shock as Mercedes perks up, “The Monastery itself?” 

Sitri nods and explains, “The Monastery has been looking for new priests and priestesses for a while now, and you seem like a good fit. Food and shelter will be readily available to you at all times when you need them, and we have one of the best physicians in Fodlan, Hanneman von Essar. Moreover, the Monastery is possibly one of the best defended single buildings in the entirety of Fodlan, more so than any of the royal palaces or noble estates, so any risk of Baron Bartles attempting to take you back will be mitigated.” 

“Would you really do that for us?” Mercedes asks. 

“While it won’t be for free, it's the best option I could come up with,” Sitri answers, “It will allow the two of you to get a fresh start on life, and possibly gain some invaluable skills as you grow, Mercedes. In fact, all those who serve the Church are offered a multitude of scholarships to many of the academies in Fodlan, including the officers' academy at the Monastery itself.” 

“That’s…,” Penelope starts crying tears of joy as she embraces Sitri once more, “Thank you. This means the world to us.” 

“I know,” Sitri replies as she returns the embrace, “As for your son, I’ll see what can be done.” 

Penelope pulls away as she wipes her tears before Mercedes asks, “When do we leave?” 

“Today if you’re ok with that,” Sitri answers, “I need to head back soon anyway since I’ve taken in a ward recently and I’m worried my husband will be away longer than initially planned, so I need to rearrange my accommodations for her.” 

“That will work for us,” Penelope answers before turning to her daughter, “Get your bag. We need to get ready.” 

As Sitri stands, Mercedes takes her hand and says, “Thank you. You have no idea just how much of a burden you’ve lifted off our shoulders.” 

“It’s the least I can do,” Sitri replies with a smile, “For now, just get ready to leave. I need to find my daughter and ward before we head out.” 

~~~

Sothis looked behind a shelf, confused as to where Lysithea had run off to hide. ‘I know I suggested hide and seek to her, but this is ridiculous.’ 

Just then, she sees a few strands of pink hair poking out of the chest, and Sothis flings it open to find Lysithea huddled inside, causing the other girl to squeal in mock terror. 

“Ahhhhh! You found me!” Lysithea shouts, clambering out of the chest and sitting on the floor. “My turn?” 

“Yep,” Sothis says, “Count to-” 

“Sothis, Lysithea,” Sitri suddenly calls from across the room, “It’s time to go.” 

“Awwwww,” both girls groan as they run over to the woman. 

“Is it really time to go?” Sothis asks. 

“It is,” Sitri replies as she picks both girls up, “But we have a couple of new people coming with us.” 

“Is it them?” Lysitheas asks as she points to the two blond women.

“Yes,” Sitri answers as she walks over to them, “This is Penelope and Mercedes von Martritz.” 

“Hi!” Sothis says while waving her hand, “I”m Sothis.” Sothis then points at Lysithea and says, “And that’s my roommate, Lysithea.” 

“Hello,” the pink-haired girl replies as she also waves at the pair. 

“Oh, aren’t the two of you adorable,” Penelope says, causing the two girls to suddenly become bashful as they look away in embarrassment. 

“I think they will be fun to have around the monastery,” Mercedes says, “Actually, is there anyone closer to my age there?” 

“Yes, actually,” Sitri says with a nod, “I have a set of twins that are about two years younger than you.” 

“I see,” Mercedes replies with a smile, “It should be fun then.” 

“If by fun, you mean bruising each other in the training arena every day, sure,” Sothis answers, causing the color in Mercedes’s face to drain suddenly. 

“What?” she asks nervously as Sitri glares at her daughter, causing the young girl to shrink back. 

Cornelia then approaches from nearby, asking, “I’m guessing this is where we part ways, then?” 

“I’m afraid so,” Sitri answers with a sigh, “Had this turned out different we would’ve gladly accompanied you to Fhirdiad.” 

“It won’t be a problem,” Cornelia replies with a shake of her head, “I’ve spoken with the priest and he is allowing me to stay until an escort from Fhirdiad can arrive.” 

“Sounds good,” Sitri says before turning to Penelope, “Are we ready?” 

“As we’ll ever be,” Penelope replies as they start walking to the doors before Cornelia calls out to Sitri. 

“When you get back,” Cornelia begins, “Ask Aelfric to write to me when he gets the chance. I have a few things I wish to discuss with him.” 

“I’ll let him know,” Sitri replies as the doors close behind them. 

~~~

A couple of days later, the carriage arrives at the monastery where a tired-looking Aelfric waits at the gate. As Sitri exits the carriage, she asks, “Where are the twins?” 

Aelfric sighs quietly and answers, “They’re with Lady Rhea right now. There was an... incident last night.” 

Sitri rolls her eyes and asks, “What did they do?” 

“Not them, actually,” Aelfric answers with a shake of his head, “While they were training in the arena, one of the scaffolds on the dormitory project collapsed. No one was hurt, but we spent most of the night repairing the damage and replacing the rest of the scaffolding with something a little more stable.” 

“Oh dear,” Sitri gasps, “At least no one was hurt.” 

“Fortunately,” Aelfric replies before noticing the two new women behind Sitri, “I’m guessing these two must be the sanctuary seekers?” 

“Yes, actually,” Sitri says, “This is Penelope and her daughter, Mercedes.” 

“Hello,” Penelope greets as Mercedes waves her hand. 

“Greetings,” Aelfric replies, “I am High Priest Alefric Dhalman, I’m currently overseeing several construction projects around the monastery right now.” 

“I could tell from what you were saying earlier,” Penelope says, “So, where will we be staying?” 

“Just a second,” Sitri asks before turning to Aelfric again, “Do you mind watching Sothis and Lysithea for a little bit? I offered Penelope a position here at the monastery and I need to get some paperwork sorted out for them.” 

“Oh, it’s not a problem at all,” Aelfric replies as Sothis pulls Lysithea to his side, “I’ll be more than happy to watch them for you. I think I’ll also get the twins so they can see their sister.” 

Before he can walk off, Penelope asks, “Do you mind taking Mercedes as well?” 

Aelfric pauses and says, “I mean… I don’t think it will be a problem. Might be good for her to have a few friends here.” 

“Thank you,” Penelope replies as Mercedes walks over to Aelfric. 

“One more thing,” Sitri adds, “Cornelia wanted me to ask you to write to her soon. She mentioned wanting to discuss a few things with you.” 

“Oh, she did?” Aelfric asks with a small blush, “Well… I’ll uh… get to it.” 

Sitri tilts her head as he walks away with the children, whispering to herself, “Does he fancy her?” 

“I know the signs of a man in love anywhere,” Penelope mentions, “Maybe you should encourage him.” 

“Maybe,” Sitri mutters before speaking up, “Just follow me. I need to get a few pieces of paperwork for you so we can get you situated.” 

Penelope nods silently and follows Sitri into the monastery, looking forward to what she will do here. 

~~~

Sothis and Lysithea walk on either side of Mercedes, describing everything in the monastery to her. 

“And over there,” Sothis points down a courtyard leading to the classrooms, “Is where the students learn. It’s being fixed right now though since the school is closed.” 

“I see,” Mercedes replies as they enter a hallway, “Do you live in the monastery?” 

“Nope,” Sothis answers, “I live in a cabin. Grandmother lives here though.” 

“Does she now?” Mercedes asks as they climb a set of stairs, “Do you think we can meet her?” 

“Actually,” Aelfric says from ahead of them, “You may be in for a surprise.” 

They reach a pair of double doors on the second floor and, after getting a go-ahead from the guards, Aelfric pushes the doors open, finding Rhea sitting on her throne while Byleth and Alexi lean against either armrest, reading along to the book in Rhea’s hands. 

“Well,” Aelfric says, drawing the trio’s attention, “This is a pleasant surprise.” 

“If this is surprising to you, then you must be doing something wrong,” Rhea replies while standing as Byleth and Alexi rush over to Sothis, the three embracing tightly. 

“Hey,” Lysithea pouts while crossing her arms, “Why don’t I get a hug?” 

“Oops, sorry,” Byleth says before hugging Lysithea, the young girl humming happily. 

“And who might you be?” Rhea asks Mercedes. 

“Oh, um… my apologize,” Mercedes bows lightly in embarrassment, “I am Mercedes von Martritz. I’ve only just arrived here with my mother.” 

Rhea tilts her head and asks, “You and your mother wouldn’t happen to be the ones who sought sanctuary at the chapel in the kingdom?” Mercedes nods quickly, confirming Rhea’s suspicions. Rhea just smiles and nods at the girl and says, “In that case, welcome to Garreg Mach Monastery. If you're here, I can only assume my daughter offered your mother a position here.” 

“Wait, daughter?” Mercedes takes a step back in confusion, looking between the twins, Sothis, and Rhea as she asks, “Bishop Sitri is your daughter?” 

“Yes,” Rhea answers, a proud smile on her face, “That also makes Sothis, Byleth, and Alexi my grandchildren.” 

“Then… what about Lysithea?” Mercedes asks while pointing at the pink-haired girl, “Sothis said something about her being her roommate?” 

“That’s a… personal matter of the family,” Rhea answers, “I’m sure Sitri can answer the more specific questions you may have, but all I can confirm is that Lysithea is staying with the family for a little while at the request of her parents.” 

“It’s true,” Lysithea confirms, “Mom and Dad just want me safe here.” 

“I see,” Mercedes responds as she calms down, “I do apologize. I never realized that Sitri was your daughter, or that you had a daughter at all.” 

“Most people who find out are the same way,” Aelfric says, “I remember being quite shocked myself learning that Rhea had a daughter when I was about the twins’ age.” 

“Was it… difficult raising Sitri?” Mercedes asks. 

“While it certainly was a unique challenge that I never expected to encounter,” Rhea answers, “It was a challenge worth overcoming because, above all else, nothing brought me more pride and fulfillment than watching Sitri grow into the person she is today. I am almost certain she feels the same watching her own children grow as well.” 

“Even if they can be a handful at times,” Aelfric mutters quietly as Seteth enters the room. 

“I heard that Bishop Sitri has return-” Seteth notices Mercedes standing in the room, “Oh, a visitor?” 

“More like a permanent resident,” Rhea answers, “This is Mercedes. She and her mother are the ones who sought sanctuary and Sitri offered them a place in the monastery.” 

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, then,” Seteth says with a small bow. 

“And to you, the same,” Mercedes says with a smile before Sothis walks up to her. 

“Do you want a better tour of the monastery?” She asks, her pleading eyes winning over the older girl in a heartbeat. 

“Sure,” Mercedes answers, “But only if Lysithea and your siblings can come.” 

“Yes!” Sothis jumps up with her fist in the air, “Byleth and Alexi can talk about this place better than I can. Let’s go!” Sothis starts running to the doors and Lysithea quickly follows as Byleth, Alexi, and Mercedes follow at a much slower pace, the adults watching the children as they run off into the monastery. 

“I think she’ll fit right in,” Aelfric says, “Though I feel Alexi is a bit outnumbered now.” 

“At least he’ll have a decent respect for women,” Seteth observes, “He’ll know first hand just how difficult it is to deal with them.” 

“I’m standing right here,” Rhea says, her voice audibly strained with irritation as Seteth freezes with fear. 

“See what I mean,” Seteth whispers to Aelfric, the other man also paralyzed with fear. 

~~~

Late that night, Sothis found herself in an odd dream. Normally, she would be planning her next dream adventure with her friends in their clubhouse; but tonight, she found herself in someone else's bedroom in the dead of night. She took at the details of the room. The door was shut, a chair propped against its handle. The window was open and a bundle of sheets were tied together, likely forming a rope, and near the bed a young boy knelt, his hands folded in front of him as he whispered something, though she could hear him as clear as day. 

“Please,” he seemed to beg, “Let me escape. Let me find my mother and sister.” 

“Mother and sister?” Sothis asks out loud, “Who are they?” 

The boy fidgets slightly, his blond hair catching the moonlight as he says, “P-Penelope and… Mercedes.” 

“Penelope and Mercedes?” Sothis asks though the boy doesn’t react to the questions. ‘What is going on here?’ 

“I want to find them,” the boy begs, tears forming, “Please, let me find them.” 

“You will find them,” Sothis replies, her hand gently touching, or trying to touch, his shoulder as the faint glow of mana forms, “You will succeed in finding them. They are at Garreg Mach Monastery. You will be safe there.” 

The boy sniffles lightly, his last tears falling as he whispers, “Amen,” and suddenly, Sothis finds herself getting thrown back into the ethereal, cloudy plain, just outside the clubhouse. Sothis looks around, confused as to what just happened before the clubhouse door suddenly opens, Edelgard peeking her head out. 

“Sothis?” she asks, “Why are you late?” 

“I don’t know,” Sothis answers as Dimitri and Khalid peak over Edelgard’s shoulder, “It was weird. I think I was in someone else's room and… I don’t know what happened.” 

“Maybe you just had a bad dream again?” Khalid asks. 

“I wouldn’t call it bad,” Sothis begins as they enter the clubhouse, “But weird seems to fit.” 

“Maybe we’ll find out someday,” Dimitri sighs as he sits down, “Soooo, what are we going to do today?” 

Sothis opens her mouth to answers, but they all hear someone outside ask, “Hello?” 

Sothis freezes as she recognizes the voice immediately, Edelgard sighing with frustration as she walks over to the door while grumbling, “We’ll never get it going at this rate.” She flings the door open and demands, “What do you want?” 

“Um… aren’t we supposed to be alone?” Dimitri asks cautiously, to which Sothis nods without saying a word. 

“What do I want?” the voice outside asks, “I want to know what’s going on.” 

“Um… El…,” Sothis whispers, “Let them in.” 

“All of them?” Edelgard asks, causing Sothis to stiffen up again. 

“W-what do you mean ‘All of them'?” Sothis asks quietly as Edelgard steps aside, allowing Mercedes, Byleth, and Alexi to step inside, their eyes wide with shock and fear. 

“Sothis?” Byleth asks curiously. 

“Wait, is that Dimitri?” Alexi asks while pointing to the boy in question. 

“What… is going on here?” Mercedes asks fearfully, Edelgard and Khalid stepping back as the three older kids look around in wonder and fear. 

‘This is going to take all night to explain,’ Sothis thinks to herself as she sighs in defeat. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And with that, Alexi's journey to fem-boy begins! (I'm kidding of course) 
> 
> But yeah, only five years old and answering prayers like the champion she is. Now if only fate were at least a little more kind, then perhaps we could've stopped it there. 
> 
> But everything has a price...


	9. The Brother

The next week proved to be quite awkward for Sothis with her siblings and Mercedes somehow invading her and her friends’ dream space almost every night now. It took her forever to get them to promise never to speak of it to the adults lest they think they’re all crazy. In return, she would invite them on her adventures in those dreams. While Dimitri and Khalid didn’t mind having a few new faces along (it was starting to get lonely for them), Edelgard proved to be more reluctant to allow them to join. Her initial excuse was that they would start doing things themselves and not allow them to do things their way, but Sothis figured out later that Edelgard was just jealous that Sothis’s siblings were there and hers were not. 

Besides that, the dreams didn’t really change much. They still traveled the seven seas in the FRS Bismarck, ventured deep into hidden temples, and looked for treasure in abandoned castles. The only major difference was that there were seven people now instead of four and Sothis had to change the size of a lot of the ‘props’, as she called them, to be useful for the older children. All told, things didn’t change much in the dreams. 

In the waking world, since Sothis got her siblings and Mercedes to keep quiet, the only major difference was, well Mercedes. She was initially scared to go into the training arena while the twins were in there, but after Sothis all but begged for her to go in, Mercedes reluctantly agreed. After only one session, Mercedes decided to start reading a few books on faith magic and learned a basic healing spell for when the twins would inevitably knock each other on their butts and stop fighting because of their fresh wounds. As a result of this, Sitri no longer needed to keep an eye on the twins when they spar and was able to focus on training Penelope and her other work. By the end of the week, everything had settled into a new sense of normalcy for Sothis, and she was prepared to ride out the coming days until her father came home. At least, everything was normal until Uncle Ali returned… 

~~~

***THWACK!*** “You’re going to get turned inside out!” 

***CRACK!*** “Not until I turn you into dog food!” 

As Byleth and Alexi scream at each other as their ax and lance, respectively, crash between them, Mercedes, Lysithea, and Sothis sit nearby as they watch the twins parry each other and fall to the ground. 

“Get up!” Sothis shouts, “Next time, go for the gut!” 

“Yeah!” Lysithea shouts next, “The gut!.... What's a gut?” 

“The stomach,” Sothis whispers in the young girl's ear. 

“Oooohhhh… Go for the stomach!” 

Mercedes rolls her eyes and whispers, “They are not a good influence for each other. They shouldn’t even be watching this.” 

Her eyes return to the ongoing battle, Byleth raising her ax and slashing it across herself, striking Alexi’s lance as he braces against the weight. However, Byleth’s strength finally proved too much for the overused weapon as the lance snapped in half, splinters flying everywhere, and striking Alexi’s shoulder. Thankfully, since the weapon is made out of blunt wood, all it will leave is a bruise. Alexi yelps in pain as he is thrown to the side, but he notices something interesting. When the ax stuck his shoulder, the handle on it also broke and Byleth, who expected to meet resistance, threw herself off balance and twisted her ankle, falling to the ground as well. 

“HOW!” Sothis shouts once the twins hit the ground, cradling their injuries painfully, “Even when you win, you still hurt yourself, By!” 

Mercedes sighs as she stands, walking over to the twins as she says, “I’m starting to suspect that the two of you might be perfectly matched, or at the very least cursed.” 

Byleth just sighs with relief as Mercedes casts a numbing spell on her sprains, saying, “Thanks, but wouldn't it be easier to heal it?” 

“Not with a sprain, I’m afraid,” Mercedes answers, “Hanneman will have to look at it.” 

“Great,” Byleth grumbles, realizing that her injury is, for once, not superficial. 

“What about me?” Alexi asks as Mercedes inspects his shoulder. 

“Thankfully, it’s just a bruise,” Mercedes replies as she cast a proper healing spell, “But I still think we should still see Hanneman.” 

“To Handy-Man!” Lysithea calls out as she and Sothis start walking over to the entrance as Alexi follows, Mercedes helping Byleth to her good foot as they also follow at a slower pace. 

~~~

“You did a number to yourself this time,” Hanneman observes as he wraps Byleth’s injured ankle in bandages, “Any further, and it would’ve been dislocated.” 

“So… how long am I stuck like this, then?” Byleth asks. 

“Only a few days at most,” Hanneman assures the young girl, “Just as long as you visit every day so I can observe it and administer the salve I made.” 

“What was it called again?” Byleth asks as she stands up and gives a few test steps with her crutches, “Vulnerability?” 

“Vulnerary,” Hanneman answers, “It’s a general healing solution that is usually taken while in the midst of battle if a faith mage isn’t nearby. While it is capable of performing immediate, infection-free aid to minor cuts, bruises, and certain types of bone fractures and other internal injuries, it is not capable of complete bone repair, major laceration healing, nor can it magically resurrect the dead. The version that I’ve given you is a concentrated form of the solution, one that I happen to have created. While I’m not entirely certain of its current capabilities, I do know that it can accelerate minor tendon and muscle repairs by a factor of four.” 

By the time Hanneman finishes, Byleth is completely lost on the explanation and just says, “Ok.” 

Hanneman nods and opens the door to let Byleth out, finding her brother just outside. “Will you be alright, Sis?” Alexi asks. 

“I’ll be fine… in a few days,” Byleth replies, “Guess we can’t spar until then.” 

“Not unless an adult is supervising,” Sitri says from down the hall, causing the twins to cringe. They hesitantly look over at her, seeing her arms are crossed as she glares at them with a crooked eyebrow. “The two of you should know better than to push each other like this.” 

“We’re sorry,” the twins say woefully, looking away from their mother’s increasingly intense gaze. 

Sitri sighs as she walks over to Hanneman and says, “Thank you.” 

“Not a problem,” Hanneman says, “I figured it was only a matter of time before they needed to see me for something beyond a black eye.” 

“Still, if I hadn’t been so wrapped up with my work, I would’ve made sure this didn’t happen,” Sitri closes her eyes as the tension in her body is released. 

“Still worried about your husband?” Hanneman asks quietly as Sothis, Lysithea, and Mercedes walk down the hall to the twins. 

“He should’ve been back by now,” Sitri answers as she looks away, “I’m worried that the negotiations have broken down.” 

“He will be fine,” Hanneman assures Sitri as he places his hand in her shoulder, “Just give him a few more days an-” 

“Bishop Sitri,” a Knight suddenly says, drawing the woman’s attention immediately. 

“Yes?” She asks, mild desperation in her eyes. 

“I’ve been asked to come and get you by Lieutenant Alois,” the Knight announces, causing Sitri to deflate as the twins and Sothis suddenly get excited. 

“Uncle Ali is here?” Sothis asks excitedly, though the Knight ignores her as he holds a letter out for Sitri. 

“This has also arrived,” the Knight says, “It is from Captain Jeralt.” 

Sitri immediately grabs the letter and tears it open, reading through its contents as quickly as possible before letting loose a massive sigh of relief, saying, “He’s almost home.” 

“Dad’s almost home?” The twins and Sothis ask all at once. 

“Yes,” Sitri nods as a few tears fall from her face, “He’ll be home tomorrow night.” 

“Yay!” The trio of siblings shouts as they embrace their mother, Mercedes smiling at the group as Lysithea pouts in jealousy. 

“Wait a second,” Hanneman holds his hand up before asking the Knight, “I thought Alois wasn’t supposed to be back for at least another week. What could’ve happened for his honeymoon to end so soon?” 

“It would be best if he explained,” the knight answers, “I… do fear that another incident might be on our hands.” 

~~~

Sitri and the children follow the knight to the barracks, many of the other knights present bowing respectfully to their captain’s wife. 

“So this child you say,” Sitri begins, “He was just found on the side of the road?” 

“That’s what Alois said,” the knight replies, “The child didn’t explain much to him, though. He just kept insisting that he needed to get here as quickly as possible.” 

Sitri hums quietly as she stands outside Alois’s office and whispers to herself, “Why would a child want to come to the monastery?” She turns to the knights and asks, “This might take a few minutes. Do you mind taking the kids to the stables and grabbing Aelfric if he’s available? I don’t want to take you away from your work and I know that Aelfric is more than willing to watch them.” 

“Of course, Bishop,” the knights replied before turning to the kids, “Come along, you all.” 

“Horsies!” Lysithea shouts loudly as she and the other children excitedly follow the knights out, leaving Sitri at Alois’s office. She sighs quietly before knocking on the door. 

“One second,” a voice calls from inside, one she immediately identifies as Abigail. She opens the door and says, “Sitri. Thank goodness you got here.” 

“It’s good to see you again,” Sitri replies as the two share a brief hug before she asks, “Did the two of you enjoy your honeymoon?” 

“It was wonderful,” Abigail replies blissfully, “Getting to see the ocean for the first time was truly a sight to behold.” 

“I’m certain it was,” Sitri replies before spotting someone kneeling near a chair in the corner. “Alois?” Sitri asks. 

Alois turns back and offers a sheepish grin and a wave before turning back to the chair, obviously talking to someone sitting on it. Sitri tilts her head as Abigail allows her to enter and closes the door. “I’m sorry to be bothering you today,” Abigail says, “We would’ve asked for the captain, but we were told that he was at the border with Almyra.” 

“It’s a long story,” Sitri replies with a sigh, “Do you remember what happened last year in the County of Ordellia?” 

“Yes, Alois told me,” Abigail answers as she gets a worried look in her eyes, “Did the Empire try to invade again?” 

Sitri nods her head and says, “The Empire is now in total control of the County. Before they annexed it, the family sent several of the children to the monastery, and most of them got sent to the other noble families in the Alliance and one in the Kingdom.” 

“Oh no,” Abigail covers her mouth in shock, “Is that why Jeralt isn’t here?” 

Sitri again nods and says, “He had to escort a couple of the children to House Goneril, and it just so happened that the family was in the middle of negotiations with Almyra over several disputed territories. They asked Jeralt to stay a little while until the negotiations were resolved.” 

Alois, now interested in the conversation, asks, “I’ve actually heard a rumor from the other knights that one of the Ordellia children are still here?” 

“The youngest, actually,” Sitri replies, “Her name is Lysithea, and Jeralt and I have taken her in for the time being.” 

“Good,” Alois replies as he stands up, “At least the kid will have Sothis to play with.” Alois then shifts uncomfortable and asks, “I’m… you know why we’re back early, right?” 

Sitri looks at the chair, spotting the sulking child as she asks, “Is this him?” 

“Yes,” Alois nods as he steps out of the way, “We were actually going to visit Abigail’s family in Remire Village when we just found him walking down the road. When we asked him what he was doing, he said he needed to get to the monastery. Said something about his family being here. Beyond that, he hasn’t shared anything else yet.” 

Sitri walks over to the boy, noting that his clothing wasn’t typical cheap wool and wooden buttons like the usual farmers wear, but was high-quality silk and artisan-crafted cotton fibers, meaning that the child was likely related to nobility or a rich merchant. Another thing Sitri noted was that his hair was a strikingly familiar shade of blond, and his eyes were also a familiar shade of blue. ‘Oh no,’ Sitri thinks to herself, ‘If this is who I think it is… how did he even know they’re here? Does the baron know?’ 

Sitri places her hand on the boy’s hand, bringing his attention to her as she asks gently, “Hey. What’s your name?” 

Her worst fears are confirmed when the boy answers, “E-Emile… von… B-B-Bartles.” 

~~~

Aelfric shook his head as he watched the children brush the horses. ‘Of all the activities that Sitri puts them to, this is the one that makes them the calmest.’ Usually, whether it’s a schooling activity or a cleaning chore, the twins would always turn it into a competition, usually leaving a bigger mess than before and the work unfinished. Now, they were gentle, brushing the horses clean as the farrier showed the two youngest how to fit a horseshoe. 

“Would the horse get hurt?” Sothis asks worriedly as the farrier scraps dirt off the horse's hoof.

“Not really,” the farrier replies, “It actually helps the horse to clean their feet every so often and the horseshoes ensure that their hooves don’t split, which can really hurt.” 

“Ooooo,” Lysithea and Sothis say simultaneously, looking closer at the hoof as the farrier scrapes off the last of the dirt. He then grabs a small hammer and a few nails in one hand and grabs a horseshoe with his other hand. 

“Stand back please,” the farrier asks, “I don’t want you getting hurt now.” Lysithea and Sothis step back, watching as the farrier holds the horseshoe to the hoof. He shifts the horseshoe around before he shakes his head and says, “Nope. It’s not the right fit. I’ll have to take this to my shop to get it adjusted.” 

“Awww,” the two young children groan quietly. Aelfric rolls his eyes at them as he walks past, somewhat envying their innocence. 

As he walks into the stable where the twins and Mercedes are cleaning a horse together, he hears his name being called from the stable entrance. “Aelfric,” they say, “Come here, please.” 

He quickly walks over to the entrance, finding Sitri waving him over. Once he reaches her, she pulls him just behind the door and asks, “Are the kids occupied?” 

“Yes, why?” he asks worriedly. 

Sitri takes a deep breath and says, “I need to talk to Mercedes. I’ve already asked Abigail to get her mother.” 

Aelfric realizes what is happening and asks, “So it’s true then? The kid is actually her brother?” 

“Yes,” Sitri answers with a nod, “To be honest, I was hoping it wasn’t true. The Church can not afford another incident with the Empire.” 

“The guy is a baron,” Aelfric counters, “He may throw a fit yes, but once he is exposed for his abuses against Penelope and Mercedes-” 

Sitri interrupts him, “From what Emile has told me, Baron Bartles and Lord Aegir are indeed working together on something. He saw both talking to each other in his home the day before he ran away. If Lord Aegir places the blame on the Church….” Sitri shakes her head, a few tears rolling down her face at the thought, “What are we going to do?” 

“We’ll think of something,” Aelfric assures Sitri, “For right now, I think Penelope and Mercedes need to see Emile right now. They both have missed him dearly and it would be good for all three of them to reunite.” 

Sitri wipes her face and says, “You’re right. I’ll… discuss this with Jeralt once he gets home.” 

Aelfric nods in response before returning to the stables, finding Mercedes and saying, “Mercedes.” 

She looks up at the man and asks, “Yes?” 

“Bishop Sitri needs to talk to you,” Aelfric explains, “It’s urgent.” 

Mercedes nods silently and follows him out of the stables, finding Sitri just outside. 

“I’ll stay here and keep an eye on the other kids,” Aelfric says, to which Sitri nods before leading Mercedes back to the knights' quarters. 

~~~

Mercedes didn’t know why Sitri needed her. She wasn’t answering her questions and said something about it being explained once she reached Lieutenant Alois’s office. She didn’t ask any more questions after that, only following her until they reached Alois’s door. Once there, Mercedes swears she hears her mother crying inside, causing her heart to sink. ‘Did something happen?’

Sitri knocks on the door, and a man with brown hair and a box-shaped face opens the door. “Sitri,” he says before looking down at the younger girl, “Is this Mercedes?” 

“She is,” Sitri replies, “Let her in please.” 

Alois steps out of the way, and Mercedes walks inside to find her mother on her knees in front of a chair. Her eyes grow wide when she realizes that her mother was holding someone, their head buried in her shoulder as he looks up at her. “Emile?” Mercedes asks quietly as she approaches them, her mother pulling away from her little brother. Penelope pulls Mercedes forward, all three holding onto each other as if their lives depended on it, tears shed between all three. 

Mercedes didn’t know for how long they held each other, but by the time they separated, the sun was no longer visible in the window, likely high in the sky as the noon bell rang over the monastery. 

“How?” Penelope asks between sobs, “How did you find us?” 

Emile wipes his eyes clear and answers, “I asked the Goddess… and she answered.” 

“Really?” Mercedes asks, confused as to what he meant. 

Emile just nods at her, saying, “Yes. I… I wanted to get away from Father. I didn’t want to stay with him anymore. When you left… he went crazy.” 

“Emile,” Penelope holds her son’s cheek as she pulls him into another embrace. 

“I was scared, mother,” Emile whimpers, “I thought he was going to hurt me.” 

“You don’t need to be afraid anymore,” Sitri suddenly says, kneeling down to Emile’s level, “You’ll be safe here.” 

Emile sniffles one last time before nodding at the woman as she stands. Penelope also stands, picking up Emile in her arms as she asks, “Is… there any way…?” 

“I can have a larger room made available for you three,” Sitri offers, “But it would be best if none of you left the monastery for a few weeks, at least until we see how the baron responds to this.” 

“Thank you,” Penelope replies quietly before turning to Alois, “Thank you for keeping him safe.” 

“It’s my pleasure,” Alois replies with a smile, “I wouldn’t be able to call myself a Knight if I just left a child in need on the side of the road now would I?”

Penelope nods appreciatively at Alois before she leaves the room, holding her son tightly as Mercedes follows close by. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A tearful reunion...
> 
> Now for the consequences that follow...
> 
> (I'm world-building right now, just bear with me here. Longer chapters are sure to come in a few weeks)

**Author's Note:**

> [Comatose-Skillet](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SbjKOI8VTY0)
> 
> Trouble is starting to brew with the Empire. What will a five-year-old child do?


End file.
